Complete Game Notes
Game #12: Lincoln (3-8, 0-2 MIAA) at Newman (6-6, 1-2 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Wichita, Kan.
Live Stats: https://newmanjets.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #13: Lincoln at Central Oklahoma (9-2, 3-0 MIAA)
Date: Monday, Jan. 6, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Edmond, Okla.
Live Stats: https://bronchosports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team opens a stretch of 17-straight conference games when LU plays Newman and Central Oklahoma this week in its first games of 2020. Lincoln will open the calendar year with its first road MIAA game of the season in Wichita, Kan. against Newman on Saturday (Jan. 4). Tip-off for that match-up between the Blue Tigers and the Jets, who are in their first year as an associate member of the MIAA, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln will then travel to Edmond, Okla. to take on a Central Oklahoma team that is receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Division II poll on Monday (Jan. 6) at 5:30 p.m. CST.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the eighth meeting between Newman and Lincoln, with the Jets holding a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series.

- Lincoln and Newman will play one another for the first time since 2011, when the Jets beat Lincoln in Jason Gym, 84-74.

- LU's last win against Newman came in 2010 when both teams were in the Heartland Conference, as Lincoln beat NU in Jefferson City, 67-51.

- On Monday, Lincoln and Central Oklahoma will meet for the 11th time, with UCO leading the series, 8-2.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln's top rebounder is Vivian Chigbu, who averages close to a double-double with 12.3 points and 9.5 boards. Kaloni Pryear leads Lincoln with 16.7 points per game, and Alecia Gulledge is averaging 7.4 points while Kiara Shoulders' 5.4 boards per game are the second-most on the team.

HEAD COACH AYANA McWILLIAMS:  A five-year veteran of the Division I ranks, McWilliams is in her fourth year as the head coach at Lincoln. Last season, McWilliams led the Blue Tigers to a 7-0 start, the best in program history. 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:  Vivian Chigbu has a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Kaloni Pryear scored 21 points as Lincoln ended 2019 with an 84-75 win over Eureka in Jason Gym on Dec. 19. LU finished with a 50-38 advantage in rebounding, with Vedrana Radosavljevic grabbing eight boards, and seven Blue Tigers scored at least six points in the win as Lincoln shot .407 from the floor and .714 at the line.

SCOUTING THE JETS:  Despite being 6-6 on the year, Newman is out-scoring opponents by an average of 62.2-56.5 points per game. The Jets are led offensively by Kaitlyn Potter, who has nine double-digit performances for a 16.3 average. The next-highest scorers are Bailey Hawkins and Haley Albers, who each average 6.8 points. Abbey George leads the program with 4.1 rebounds per night, and Michaela Mack averages a team-best 3.3 assists.

NU HEAD COACH DARIN SPENCE:  Now in his eighth year at Newman, Spence has amassed over 100 victories and led the program to three-straight winning seasons. Spence, who has compiled over 500 victories in a career that has spanned 29 years, won 109 games as the head coach at Division I New Mexico State.

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS:  Kelsey Johnson (12.5 ppg.) and Micayla Haynes (12.2 ppg.) lead a balanced UCO scoring attack that averages 81.9 points per night. Johnson is also the team's top rebounder with 7.9 per contest, and Shatoya Bryson, who averages 8.9 points, leads Central Oklahoma with 34 assists and 29 steals. UCO has blocked 37 shots on the season, with Johnson's 16 rejections leading the program.

UCO HEAD COACH GUY HARDAKER:  Over the past 13 seasons, Hardaker has led UCO to five NCAA Division II tournament appearances as well as five 20-win campaigns. In 2016-17, he guided Central Oklahoma to the championship game of the MIAA Tournament and an at-large berth in the NCAA tourney, and in 2017-18 he, at one point, had the Bronchos ranked No. 16 in the nation.

TO THE TENS:  Kaloni Pryear is off to a fantastic start offensively, averaging 16.7 points per game to lead Lincoln and rank fourth in the MIAA. In all 10 games in which she's played, Pryear has scored at least 10 points, including reaching a new career-high with 26 points against Maryville. For the season, Pryear has made 67 field goals, the sixth-most by an MIAA player, and her .489 field goal percentage is sixth in the league.

DOUBLE THE FUN:  Vivian Chigbu has reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding in four games in 2019-20 and averages 12.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Chigbu, who twice has eclipsed 20 points in a game, trails only Chris Wilson (MWSU) & Maya Williams (PSU), who each have five, for the most in the MIAA.

ON THE REBOUND:  The Blue Tigers have established themselves as one of the MIAA's best rebounding teams, as Lincoln leads the league in total rebounds per game (44.5) and in offensive boards (17.5). Lincoln is rising up the ranks in the national levels as well, ranking sixth in Division II in offensive rebounding & 23rd in rebounding.

GOOD ON THE GLASS:  Vivian Chigbu reached double figures in rebounding in each of the first four games and currently leads the team and the MIAA while rating 44th in the nation in rebounds per game with 9.5. Her total of 105 rebounds is the most in the MIAA and the 39th-most in NCAA Division II.

SHOULDERING THE DEFENSE:  In addition to Vivian Chigbu, Lincoln has another player who is off to a hot start in rebounding in Kiara Shoulders, who averages 5.4 boards per contest. Shoulders, who also averages 6.8 points, is 13th in the league in defensive rebounding with 4.3 per night as well as 19th in the conference in total rebounding. Shoulders' play has helped Lincoln post the second-best rebounding margin in the MIAA (+6.7).

PRYEAR SUCCESS:  Kaloni Pryear, who started 14 games and made 19 total appearances a year ago, is Lincoln's early scoring leader in 2019-20. Pryear opened the year with 18 points against Southern Arkansas. Pryear has reached double digits in all 10 games in which she's played with three 20-point performances.

BOTH SIDES OF THE GLASS:  Whether she's on offense or defense, very few players rebound as well as Vivian Chigbu. Her 4.3 offensive rebounds per game lead the MIAA and are 14th nationally while her 5.3 defensive boards per game are seventh in the conference.

REAPING REBOUNDS:  Lincoln has two of the five best rebounding performances in the MIAA, including grabbing 61 boards in the win over MacMurray, the 22nd-most in a single game by a DII team this year. LU also pulled down 54 boards against Missouri Western.

DOLING ASSISTS:  Natasha Dolinsky leads the Blue Tigers with 21 assists for an average of 1.9 per game. She also has 18 steals, tied for the 18th-most in the MIAA, and three blocks on the year, and Dolinsky is scoring 6.4 points per night while averaging 4.1 rebounds.

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:  LU opens a three-game homestand next Saturday (Jan. 11) when Lincoln welcomes Central Missouri for a 1:00 p.m. CST contest.