Complete Game Notes
Game #28: No. 24 Central Missouri (21-5, 14-4 MIAA) at Lincoln (10-17, 2-16 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2019
Time: 12:00 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: Senior Day

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team closes its 2018-19 campaign on Saturday (March 2) as the Blue Tigers host Central Missouri in a 12:00 p.m. CST game. Central Missouri enters the weekend ranked No. 24 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's NCAA Division II ratings, and is 21-5 overall and 14-4 in the MIAA. Lincoln, meanwhile, has rebounded from just four wins in 2017-18 to a 10-win season in 2018-19, and will try to close the season with its first win against a ranked opponent since 2011-12. Saturday, which will be Senior Day for the Blue Tigers, will mark a rematch of a game that UCM won in Warrensburg, Mo., 77-58, back on Jan. 16.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Central Missouri meet for the 59th time on Saturday, with the Jennies owning a 54-3 advantage in the all-time series.

- The Blue Tigers are seeking their first victory over a ranked opponent since beating No. 12 Pittsburg State, 83-77, in the 2012 MIAA tournament.

- UCM has won each of the past five meetings.

- 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 17.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and Bre Coleman (14.4 ppg.), Zoi Thompson (13.0) and Kaloni Pryear (9.8) are among Lincoln's other scoring leaders. Thompson averages team-highs in assists (4.3) and steals (1.5), while Alecia Gulledge (6.8 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 Blue Tigers had a chance to take the lead with less than five seconds left, but Southwest Baptist forced a turnover and then made a pair of free throws to escape Jason Gym with a 76-73 win on Wednesday (Feb. 27). Both Zhanesha Dickerson and Bre Coleman scored 17 points, with Dickerson also grabbing 10 boards, and Zoi Thompson tallied 16 points and dished eight assists.

SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Central Missouri has a balanced starting five, with each player tallying at least seven points and three boards per game. Paige Redmond leads UCM with 16.4 points and 4.1 assists, while Morgan Fleming (15.1 ppg.) and Megan Skaggs (14.9) are next on the scoring chart.

UCM HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER:  With more wins than any other coach in the history of the UCM women's basketball program, Slifer enters the week with 302 victories with the Jennies and over 600 wins in his career. Slifer, who was named the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2013, has led the Jennies to nine 20-win seasons and the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

ATTEMPTS AND MAKES:  Few players in NCAA Division II attempt more shots than LU's Zhanesha Dickerson, who leads the MIAA and is 14th in the country with 441 field goal attempts. Dickerson, who is also 44th in the country in three-point tries, makes 39.2-percent of her total shots and is 49th in the nation in total field goals made with 173.

DOUBLE UP:  Eleven 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, leads the league in scoring (17.2 ppg.) and is second in rebounding (8.3 rpg.), and her 11 total double-doubles rank her second in the MIAA and 38th in NCAA Division II.

CLOSE CALLS:  Lincoln has played some very close games this season, with 10 of LU's games being decided by six points or less. Those have been a mixed bag for the Blue Tigers, who are 2-8 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 111 coming on the defensive glass. Shoulders, who also has 35 steals and five blocks on the season, has started 22 games, the third-most of any Blue Tiger in 2018-19. She's had at least five boards in eight of the past 10 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 6.8 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 7.2 points on .405 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 14.4 ppg. and 7.8 rpg., and has posted five double-doubles on the season to go with 22 steals and 13 blocks.

NATIONALLY RANKED:  Several Blue Tigers rate among the best in the country in certain statistics, including Zoi Thompson, who is 55th nationally in assists per game (4.3) and 57th in total assists (113). Zhanesha Dickerson is 67th in points per game (17.2) and 31st in minutes played (953:09) while Alecia Gulledge is 155th in minutes played (876:04).

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 third in the MIAA in assists with 4.3 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 50th in Division II with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Blue Tigers, have 377 offensive boards on the year.

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.

SENIOR DAY:  Saturday is Senior Day for Zoi Thompson, Tempary Gunter, Bre Coleman and Zhanesha Dickerson. A special recognition ceremony will be held following the game.