Complete Game Notes
Game #26: Washburn (17-8, 12-4 MIAA) at Lincoln (10-15, 2-14 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, February 23, 2019
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jason Gym (1,538) in Jefferson City, Mo.
Tickets: Adults - $5.00 | LU Faculty & Staff/Non-LU Students - $3.00 | LU Students & Kids 5 and Under – Free
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Special Event: Red Cross Game

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team is back in Jason Gym on Saturday (Feb. 23) as LU welcomes Washburn for a 1:00 p.m. CST contest. With just three games left in 2018-19, every contest matters for Lincoln, which is still battling several other teams for the 10th and final spot in the MIAA tournament. Saturday's opponent will be a familiar one for the Blue Tigers, who played Washburn in Topeka, Kan. back on Jan. 31. The Ichabods took that one, 79-73, and enters the weekend with a 17-8 overall record and a 12-4 mark in conference play after having a three-game win streak snapped by Lindenwood on Thursday (Feb. 21), 85-63. The Blue Tigers are 10-15 on the season and are also coming off a loss to the Lady Lions, 86-63, on Tuesday (Feb. 19).

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Washburn are meeting for the 28th time on Saturday. The Ichabods have won every previous game in the series.

- The American Red Cross, in conjunction with the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, will be at the game to promote its blood drive in Scruggs on Feb. 28th and to share some information with Blue Tiger fans.

- After finishing with just four wins in 2017-18, Lincoln already has 10 victories this year. The Blue Tigers have their first 10-win season since going 12-14 during the 2014-15 campaign.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Zhanesha Dickerson is nearly averaging a double-double with 17.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and Bre Coleman (13.9 ppg.), Zoi Thompson (13.0) and Kaloni Pryear (9.3) are among Lincoln's other scoring leaders. Thompson averages team-highs in assists (4.2) and steals (1.5), while Alecia Gulledge (7.0 rpg.) and Kiara Shoulders (5.0 rpg.) are having strong seasons on the glass.

HEAD COACH AYANA McWILLIAMS:  A five-year veteran of the Division I ranks, McWilliams is in her third season as the head coach at Lincoln. In the past two years, the Blue Tigers have improved defensively in nearly every category. McWilliams previously worked as an assistant at South Carolina Upstate, a Division I program, and also was an assistant at Elizabeth City.

LAST TIME OUT:  The Lady Lions shot .526 from the floor and .400 from three point range while holding Lincoln to .373 shooting as Lindenwood beat the Blue Tigers, 86-63, on Tuesday night (Feb. 19). Zhanesha Dickerson led LU with 23 points while Zoi Thompson, Bre Coleman and Kaloni Pryear each chipped in 11 points. Thompson also had a team-high six assists.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Washburn scores six more points per game than its opponents (67.9-61.2) and is averaging 38.6 rebounds while allowing 35.1 per contest. Three Ichabods average at least 10 points per game, with Taylor Blue leading the way with 11.5 points. Reagan Phelan averages 10.8 points to go with a team-high 4.5 assists while Hunter Bentley averages 11.0 points as well as 5.7 rebounds.

WU HEAD COACH RON McHENRY:  In his 19 seasons leading the Ichabods, McHenry has won over 400 games, including the 2004-05 Division II National Championship. McHenry has won eight MIAA regular season and seven tournament titles, winning more than 200 conference games in the process.

ATTEMPTS AND MAKES:  Few players in NCAA Division II attempt more shots than LU's Zhanesha Dickerson, who leads the MIAA and is 12th in the country with 411 field goal attempts. Dickerson, who is also 36th in the country in three-point tries, makes 38.2-percent of her total shots and is 52nd in the nation in total field goals made with 157.

DOUBLE UP:  Nine times this year Zhanesha Dickerson has posted a double-double and has yet to have a game where she's grabbed fewer than five boards. Dickerson, who is averaging close to a double-double for the season, is third in the league in scoring (17.0 ppg.) and is third in rebounding (8.3 rpg.), and her nine total double-doubles rank her second in the MIAA and 48th in NCAA Division II.

CLOSE CALLS:  Lincoln has played some very close games this season, with nine of LU's games being decided by six points or less. Those have been a mixed bag for the Blue Tigers, who are 2-7 in such contests, including a pair of one-point losses to Missouri Western & Southwest Baptist on the road, and an overtime loss to Missouri Southern at home.

SHOULDERING THE DEFENSE:  Freshman Kiara Shoulders has been a huge asset for LU on the defensive side of the ball, as she is averaging 5.0 rebounds with 100 coming on the defensive glass. Shoulders, who also has 34 steals and five blocks on the season, has started 20 games, the third-most of any Blue Tiger in 2018-19. She's had at least five boards in seven of the past eight games with a 12-rebound performance at Emporia State.

GULL ON THE GLASS:  Alecia Gulledge has emerged as one of Lincoln's leaders on the glass, grabbing 7.0 boards per game, the 10th-most in the MIAA. Gulledge tallied a season-high 18 rebounds against Blackburn and posted her first double-double against Robert Morris-Springfield with 17 points and 12 boards.

TEMPARY SUCCESS:  Tempary Gunter has made her senior season a memorable one. In addition to playing in all 10 of LU's wins, Gunter hit the game-winning shot vs. McKendree before scoring a career-high 20 points against Blackburn. For the season, Gunter is averaging 7.9 points on .425 shooting, and also has 12 steals on the year.

BRE IS BACK:  Bre Coleman, Lincoln's leader in scoring and rebounding in 2017-18, has made a big impact on both sides of the ball since returning to the lineup in mid-December. Coleman is averaging 13.9 ppg. and 7.4 rpg., and has posted four double-doubles on the season to go with 20 steals and 13 blocks.

NATIONALLY RANKED:  Several Blue Tigers rate among the best in the country in certain statistics, including Zoi Thompson, who is 56th nationally in assists per game (4.2) and 58th in total assists (101). Zhanesha Dickerson is 70th in points per game (17.0) and 31st in minutes played (878:09) while Alecia Gulledge is 158th in minutes played (825:04).

HOME, SWEET HOME:  For the first time since 2010-11, when the Blue Tigers had 15 home games and 11 road tilts, Lincoln will play more contests at home than it will true road games. The Blue Tigers play 12 games in Jason Gym, including five of their final seven contests of the year, with just nine true road games on the schedule.

LEAGUE LEADER:  Zoi Thompson led the Blue Tigers in November, earning MIAA Player of the Week accolades after nearly posting a triple double against Stephens. Thompson ranks fourth in the MIAA in assists with 4.2 per game, and rates 14th in the league in scoring (13.0 ppg.).

SECOND CHANCES:  Lincoln has found ways to extend its possessions, rating second in the MIAA and ranking 58th in Division II with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Blue Tigers, who have 343 offensive boards on the year, have scored 311 second chance points in 2018-19.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  Get your Blue Tiger jerseys, apparel, accessories, office supplies and much, much more at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store of LU athletics. You can get everything you will need for basketball season, with a portion of all sales going directly to support all 12 LU athletic programs.

NEXT UP:  The Blue Tigers begin the final week of the season at home on Wednesday (Feb. 27) as LU hosts Southwest Baptist at 5:30 p.m. CST.