Complete Game Notes
Game #12: Lincoln (4-7, 1-1 MIAA) at Newman (6-6, 0-3 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020
Time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Site: Wichita, Kan.
Live Stats: https://newmanjets.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Game #13: Lincoln at Central Oklahoma (4-8, 1-2 MIAA)
Date: Monday, Jan. 6, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Edmond, Okla.
Live Stats: https://bronchosports.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
THE TIP OFF: The conference season begins in earnest for the Lincoln men's basketball team this weekend with the Blue Tigers opening 2020 with a pair of road league games. Up first for the Blue Tigers is Newman, which is in its first season as an associate member of the MIAA. The first conference match-up between the two teams will take place in Wichita, Kan. on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) at 3:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln will follow that game by traveling to Edmond, Okla. for a game against Central Oklahoma on Monday evening (Jan. 6) at 7:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln, which is 1-1 in MIAA play, has won two of its past four games, including improving to 4-7 overall with an 88-73 home win over Culver-Stockton on Dec. 18. The Jets are 0-3 in league play in their first year in the MIAA while Central Oklahoma is 1-2 after the Bronchos beat Newman, 68-66, on Dec. 21.
FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Newman will meet for the eighth time on Saturday, but the first as conference rivals. Newman has won each of the past seven meetings.
- This will be the 10th meeting between LU and UCO, with the Bronchos leading the series, 7-2.
- LU beat UCO, 78-65, in Jason Gym last season.
- These will be the first two road MIAA games of the 2019-20 season for the Blue Tigers.
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS: L'Kielynn Taylor leads Lincoln with 8.1 rebounds per game while Jonell Burton is the top scorer with 16.2 points per night. Cameron Potts has done a bit of everything, leading Lincoln in assists (5.2 apg.) and steals (20) while averaging 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. Marcel Burton averages 9.8 points and is shooting .833 at the line.
HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY: Now in his sixth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led LU to four-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: Cameron Potts had a double-double with 10 points, 10 boards and six assists, and four other Blue Tigers scored in double digits as Lincoln closed out 2019 with an 88-73 home win over Culver-Stockton on Dec. 18. Bansi King chipped in 12 points, Jonell Burton added 13 and Alafia Oluwasogo led LU with 15 points. L'Kielynn Taylor contributed 10 points, six boards and five assists to the winning cause, and Marcel Burton scored eight points.
SCOUTING THE JETS: Marshawn Blackmon, with 17.1 ppg. and 9.4 rpg., leads three Newman players scoring an average of at least 10 points per night. DeAndre Johnson, who is averaging 7.3 boards, and Juwan Davenport each score 12.5 points per game, and Tyjil Hereford leads NU with 21 steals.
NU HEAD COACH RJ ALLEN: The third-year coach of the Jets is 40-29 overall, and led NU to a 20-9 season and third place in the Heartland Conference standings in 2018-19. That followed a 2017-18 campaign in which Newman won 10 HC games, its highest total in league games since the 2012-13 season.
SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS: Dashon Bell (10.3 ppg., 3.3 apg.) and Dashawn McDowell (13.4 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) are Central Oklahoma's top scorers, with Cam Givens (8.5 ppg.) and Justin Nimmer (8.4 ppg.) next on the scoring chart. UCO's top rebounders is Givens with 5.4 per game, and DJ Basey leads the team with 11 blocks. Despite being 4-8 on the season, Central Oklahoma is relatively even in points scored per game (69.5) and points allowed (69.8).
UCO HEAD COACH BOB HOFFMAN: A long-time veteran of the Division I ranks who posted 209 victories over 11 seasons at Mercer, Hoffman is in his first season as the leader of the Bronchos. Hoffman, who won an NAIA national title as a women's coach and who has nearly 250 wins as a men's coach at the NAIA level, has also coached at Oklahoma and Southern Nazarene as well as his alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist, where he is a member of the program's hall of fame.
BLOCK PARTY: Opposing shooters have been stung by Jonell Burton many times in 2019-20, as his 15 blocks are the fifth-most by any MIAA player. Burton, who ranks 73rd in the country in total blocks, is averaging 1.4 blocks per game, the 80th-most in NCAA Division II.
HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES: Jonell Burton, who is leading the Blue Tigers with 16.2 points per game, is currently sixth in the MIAA in scoring and fifth in total field goals made (70). Burton scored in double figures in each of the season's first five games, eclipsing the 20-point plateau twice, including pouring in 40 vs. Harris-Stowe.
ON THE GLASS: L'Kielynn Taylor has led LU in rebounding for most of the season, pulling down five or more boards in 10 of LU's 11 games with double-digit performances against four teams. Taylor's 8.1 average is the fifth-best in the MIAA while his 89 total rebounds are the fourth-most by an MIAA player.
DOWNTOWN'S CLOSED: Teams had a difficult time making three's against Lincoln last year, as the Blue Tigers ranked second in the MIAA and 42nd in NCAA Division II in three-point defense (.327). That trend has continued in 2019-20, as LU is currently fifth in the league, allowing its opponents to shoot just .318 beyond the arc.
D-D-D-DEFENSE: In addition to being tough along the perimeter, LU has been strong all around while on defense, ranking 93rd nationally with 70.8 points allowed per game. The Blue Tigers, who are sixth in the MIAA in defensive rebounding (27.1) and ninth in offensive rebounding (9.7), are seventh in the conference with 36.8 boards per night.
FIELD TACTICS: Seven Blue Tigers are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Jordan Notch (.614), leading five Lincoln players who are making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .439 from the field while holding its opponents to .422 shooting, with that field goal defense ranking 68th in NCAA Division II.
HE GIVETH AND HE TAKETH: Cameron Potts leads LU in both assists and steals, and is among the MIAA leaders in both categories as well. Potts is fourth in the league with 5.2 assists per night and has dropped at least six dimes in six games in 2019-20. Potts also averages 1.8 steals, which is the seventh-most in the MIAA.
REJECTIONS: Lincoln has blocked 35 shots in 2019-20, with the 3.2 rejections per game rating 10th in the MIAA. Jonell Burton, a member of the MIAA All-Defensive team in 2018-19, leads the Blue Tigers with 15 rejections while Cameron Potts is next with five blocks.
NOTCHING SOME HELP: Jordan Notch, who started the first seven games of the year, has stepped up his play the last seven contests, with a 12 point and nine rebound game against Maryville. Notch poured in 11 points in the win over Missouri Western and, over the past seven games, is shooting 21-33 (.636) from the field.
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: Lincoln is back at home for its next three games, starting on Saturday (Jan. 11) with a 3:00 p.m. CST game vs. Central Missouri.
