Complete Game Notes
Game #21: Missouri Western (10-10, 5-6 MIAA) at Lincoln (9-11, 1-10 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2019
Time: 5:30 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/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Special Event: Greek Game

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team opens the final month of the season at home on Thursday (Feb. 7) when the Blue Tigers host Missouri Western at 5:30 p.m. CST. It's a rematch of one of the most exciting games of the year, as LU led from nearly start to finish before the Griffons hit a late layup to knock off the Blue Tigers, 62-61, on Dec. 8. That loss snapped a seven-game winning streak by Lincoln, and the Blue Tigers will try to snap a different streak in the rematch, as LU has dropped its past nine games, most recently falling to Emporia State, 92-62, on Saturday (Feb. 2). Missouri Western is also coming off a loss, as the Griffons, who are 10-10 on the year and 5-6 in MIAA play, fell to Pittsburg State at home, 79-68, on Saturday.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 41st meeting between Missouri Western and Lincoln, with the Griffons leading the all-time series, 35-5.

- Lincoln and Missouri Western split the last two games in the series, with each team winning on its home court. MWSU beat LU, 62-61, in St. Joseph, Mo. earlier this year while LU beat MWSU, 73-62, in Jason Gym last season.

- After finishing with just four wins in 2017-18, Lincoln already has nine victories this year. A victory would give Lincoln its 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 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, and Bre Coleman (14.6 ppg.), Zoi Thompson (13.7) and Tempary Gunter (8.9) are among Lincoln's other scoring leaders. Thompson averages team-highs in assists (4.3) and steals (1.6), while Alecia Gulledge (7.4 rpg.) and Kiara Shoulders (4.9 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
Washburn 79, Lincoln 73
Lincoln scored 43 second-half points to nearly rally from a 17-point deficit, but Washburn hit a pair of late three-pointers to escape with a 79-73 victory in Topeka, Kan. on Thursday (Jan. 31). Bre Coleman led the Blue Tigers with 28 points and eight boards while Zhanesha Dickerson scored 27 and Kaloni Pryear finished with 11 points.

Emporia State 92, Lincoln 62
Emporia State forced Lincoln to shoot .338 from the floor as the Lady Hornets beat LU, 92-62, on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 2). Bre Coleman had a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Alecia Gulledge added 15 points while Zoi Thompson scored 13.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  MWSU averages about 64 points per night, with Katrina Roenfeldt leading the way with 16.0 per game. Brittany Atkins is next with 11.5 points per game, and Cera Ledbetters is averaging 7.2 ppg. On the glass, the Griffons are led by Roenfeldt (5.2 rpg) and Jessica Davies (5.1). Defensively, the Griffons allow just 62.4 points per contest.

MWSU HEAD COACH ROB EDMISSON:  The Griffons have posted winning records in four of Edmisson's first six seasons as head coach and have 105 games in his tenure. In 2015-16 he led the Griffons to 27 wins, the MIAA regular season title and a trip to the NCAA DII tourney. He has taken Missouri Western to the postseason five times and has over 500 career victories.

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 4.9 rebounds with 78 coming on the defensive glass. Shoulders, who also has 30 steals and three blocks on the season, has started 15 games, the third-most of any Blue Tiger in 2018-19. She's had at least five boards in the past four games with a 12-rebound performance at Emporia State.

DOUBLE UP:  Seven 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 fourth in the league in scoring (16.0 ppg.) and is third in rebounding (8.0 rpg.) and, in 11 games this year, has finished with at least 10 points and seven rebounds.

GULL ON THE GLASS:  Alecia Gulledge has emerged as one of Lincoln's leaders on the glass, grabbing 7.4 boards per game, the seventh-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 starting all nine 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 8.9 points on .423 shooting, and also has 11 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 14.6 ppg. and 8.4 rpg., and has 16 steals while averaging just 27.7 minutes per contest.

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 third in the MIAA in assists with 4.3 per game, and rates 10th in the league in scoring (13.7 ppg.) and sixth in field goal percentage (.389).

REBOUNDING:  A big factor in Lincoln's improvement to nine victories after a four-win campaign in 2017-18 has been on the glass, as Lincoln has out-rebounded opponents in 11 of its 20 contests. LU owns a rebound margin of +4.7, the fourth-best in the MIAA. Zhanesha Dickerson is third in the MIAA with 8.0 rebounds per game while Alecia Gulledge is seventh at 7.4 rebounds per game.

SECOND CHANCES:  Lincoln has found ways to extend its possessions, rating second in the MIAA and ranking 47th in Division II with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Blue Tigers, who have 285 offensive boards on the year, have scored 252 second chance points in 2018-19.

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:  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:  Lincoln will be back at Jason Gym on Saturday (Feb. 9) to host Northwest Missouri in a 1:00 p.m. CST contest.