Complete Game Notes
Game #21: Missouri Western (10-12, 4-7 MIAA) at Lincoln (15-5, 8-3 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2019
Time: 7:30 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/lubluetigers/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Special Event: Greek Game

THE TIP OFF:  Riding a three-game winning streak, the Lincoln men's basketball team returns to Jason Gym on Thursday night (Feb. 7) to host Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. CST. It's a rematch of a game from Dec. 8, which the Blue Tigers won, 79-68, in St. Joseph, Mo. LU currently is in second place in the MIAA standings after sweeping a road trip in Kansas last weekend, as the Blue Tigers, who are 15-5 overall and 8-3 in league play, beat Washburn, 75-73, on Thursday (Jan. 31) and topped Emporia State, 76-71, on Saturday (Feb. 2). Lincoln will try to keep its winning streak going against a Griffon team is 10-12 on the season, but has two of its past three games, including beating Pittsburg State, 95-87, in overtime on Saturday.

FAST BREAKS
- The Blue Tigers and the Griffons are playing for the 44th time, with MWSU leading the series, 33-10.

- Lincoln has won four of its past five meetings with the Griffons, but Missouri Western was the victor, 82-73, the last time the teams played in Jason Gym.

- With 15 wins, LU has secured a fourth-straight winning season.

- Lincoln is ranked No. 7 in the D2SIDA Central Region Media Poll.

- LU is 8-3 in MIAA play for the first time since 1980-81.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Terrance Smith leads Lincoln with 16.3 points and 6.8 boards per night while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden leads LU with 5.0 assists while scoring 12.5 per night. Amariontez Ivory (14.1 ppg.) and Jonell Burton (13.1 ppg.) are LU's other offensive leaders, and L'Kielynn Taylor is averaging 5.4 rebounds.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  Now in his fifth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led LU to three-straight postseason appearances as well as four-consecutive winning seasons. In 2015-16, he became the first coach to take Lincoln to the postseason since 1986-87 and led LU to its first winning campaign since 2001-02. The Blue Tigers have posted double-digit wins in each of the past four seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
Lincoln 75, Washburn 73
Lincoln opened the game on a 15-3 run and held off a late Ichabod rally to beat Washburn, 75-73, on Thursday evening (Jan. 31). Amariontez Ivory led the Blue Tigers with 21 points and Terrence Smith added 18 as LU defeated Washburn for the first time since the 1968-69 season.

Lincoln 76, Emporia State 71
Terrance Smith had a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds), Amariontez Ivory scored 30 points and Grant Olsson chipped in 15 as Lincoln won a back-and-forth game with Emporia State, 76-71, on the road on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 2). LU out-rebounded the Hornets, 39-30, with Olsson grabbing eight boards while L'Kielynn Taylor pulled down five. Ni'sean Rigmaiden dished eight assists to go with eight points.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Missouri Western is scoring 76.2 points per game while opponents are scoring 79.3. Leading the way for MWSU offensively are Lavon Hightower (19.9 ppg.), Bryan Hudson (14.2 ppg.) and Tyrell Carroll (13.1 ppg.), with Hightower pulling down a team-high 7.7 rebounds per night.

MWSU HEAD COACH SUNDANCE WICKS:  Wicks began his first season as a head coach by leading the Griffons to wins in four of his first five games, and owns a 10-12 record entering this weekend. Wicks spent the last two seasons as the associate head coach of his alma mater, Northern State, and helped lead the program to conference regular season and tournament championships last season.

WINNER, WINNER:  With its win over Emporia State, Lincoln clinched its 15th win of the year and a fourth-straight winning season. LU went 16-14 in 2015-16, 17-13 in 2016-17 and 15-14 last season. This marks the first time that LU has had four-straight winning seasons since posting eight consecutive winning campaigns from 1971-72 through 1978-79.

SHOOTING STARS:  LU ranks among the best teams in the MIAA in making baskets, as Lincoln is fourth in the league in field goal percentage at .481. The Blue Tigers, who rank third in DII in three-point percentage (.425) and 46th in total field goal percentage, are 14-1 this season when finishing games with a higher accuracy rating than their opponents.

BURTON TO BURTON:  Lincoln has a pair of outstanding point guards who happen to share a name. Jonell Burton and John Burton (unrelated) each scored 20 points in the win over Pittsburg State, and Jonell, with 13.1 points per game, is third among LU players in scoring. John, meanwhile, is averaging 7.6 points and shooting .418 from long distance.

IVORY TOWER:  Amariontez Ivory scored at least 10 points in 21 of his 29 games last year, and is off to another strong start in 2018-19. An All-MIAA honorable mention last year, Ivory now has tallied 16 total performances with 20-plus points, including a 30-point day at Emporia State, and averages 14.1 points this season with 13 double-digit point performances in 2018-19.

DOWNTOWN'S CLOSED:  Teams have had a hard time making three's against Lincoln, as the Blue Tigers lead the MIAA and rank 19th in DII in three-point defense (.313). While opponents have attempted 422 shots from downtown, LU has allowed just 132 treys this season four fewer than the next-closest team (Missouri Western, 136).

DIALING LONG DISTANCE:  Lincoln is once again one of the top teams in the MIAA in three-point shooting, as LU is second in the conference with a .425 percentage from long distance. That percentage is the third-best this year in NCAA Division II. LU is averaging 10.1 treys per night, the third-most in the conference.

HE GIVES AND HE TAKES:  Ni'Sean Rigmaiden has been a huge asset to the Blue Tigers in nearly every facet of the game, but especially in assists and steals, where he leads the team with 99 and 30, respectively. Rigmaiden, who is fourth in the MIAA in assists and fifth in total steals, also averages 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and had a 32-point game against Lindenwood on Jan. 12.

POINTS FOR FREE:  LU utilitzes its opportunities at the line, as the Blue Tigers are shooting .761 on free throws, a percentage that is fourth in the MIAA and 35th in NCAA Division II. Amariontez Ivory is 43-for-48 at the line while Terrance Smith is shooting .753 and Jonell Burton shoots .855 at the charity stripe.

GRANTED:  Grant Olsson has stepped up his game in his second season with the Blue Tigers, as the senior averages 10.2 points and 4.0 boards per game. Olsson, a starter in 19 games this year, has scored in double figures in 10 of the past 14 games and has grabbed at least four boards in 12 contests.

RESERVATIONS:  You can reserve your seats for all of Lincoln's home games today! Reserved seats cost $100 and include admission to all of LU's regular season home games. To purchase your seats, visit https://14186.thankyou4caring.org/2017-18-sports-passes.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  Lincoln fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.

NEXT UP:  The Blue Tigers remain at home on Saturday (Feb. 9), hosting Northwest Missouri at 3:00 p.m. CST.