Complete Game Notes
Game #19: Washburn (11-7, 6-3 MIAA) at Lincoln (7-11, 4-5 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020
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/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team is back in Jason Gym on Wednesday night (Jan. 29) to host Washburn at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers will try to get back in the win column after dropping a pair of games in Oklahoma last week. LU fell to Northeastern State, 90-71, on Thursday (Jan. 23) and played Rogers State closely before the Hillcats pulled away in the final minutes for a 76-67 win on Saturday (Jan. 25). In the Blue Tigers' favor is a home court advantage that has helped LU post a 4-2 record inside Jason Gym this year, with Lincoln beating Pittsburg State in its last home game on Jan. 18. Washburn enters the week on a three-game win streak, but is just 2-3 in true road games in 2019-20. The Ichabods are 11-7 overall after picking up home wins vs. Central Oklahoma and Newman last week.

FAST BREAKS
- This is the 34th meeting between Washburn & Lincoln, with the Ichabods owning a 29-4 advantage in the all-time series.

- The teams split a pair of meetings last season, with each squad winning on the opponent's court. Lincoln edged Washburn in Topeka, Kan. 75-73. The Ichabods returned the favor later in the year, beating the Blue Tigers in Jason Gym, 75-70.

- A win would be the first for Lincoln over Washburn at home as MIAA rivals.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Three Blue Tigers are averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Jonell Burton, who poured in 40 against Harris-Stowe, with 14.3 per contest. Cameron Potts averages 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists, and Marcel Burton is next on the scoring chart with 10.6 points. L'Kielynn Taylor leads the Blue Tigers with 8.2 rebounds per night.

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
Northeastern State 90, Lincoln 71
The RiverHawks out-scored the Blue Tigers, 52-36, in the first half and held off LU late for a win in Tahlequah, Okla. on Thursday (Jan. 23). Alafia Oluwasogo led Lincoln with 12 points, Cameron Potts and Joe Davis each scored 11 and L'Kielynn Taylor grabbed 10 rebounds.

Rogers State 76, Lincoln 67
The score was close for most of a contest that had seven lead changes and five ties, but Rogers State used a 14-4 run during the final four minutes to hold off Lincoln on Saturday (Jan. 25). Marcel Burton scored 19 points and Cameron Potts had 16 points and eight rebounds. L'Kielynn Taylor grabbed 15 boards and finished with three steals while Lamont Ballard, Jr. dished three assists.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Four players are averaging double digit points, with Tyler Geiman leading the team in both scoring (14.7) and assists (5.8). Jonny Clausing is the leading rebounder (7.4) while averaging 10.4 points, and Jalen Lewis is scoring 13.3 per night, followed on the scoring list by Drew Maschoff with 11.4 ppg.

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his third season as the head coach of the Ichabods, Ballard has led to Washburn to 57 victories after a pair of 20-win seasons to begin his tenure. He spent the previous four seasons at the Division I level, with stints at Wake Forest and Tulsa, and was the head coach at Baker from 2010-12.

GO JOE:  After averaging fewer than 10 minutes in his first seven games of the season, Joe Davis came off the bench to play more than 20 minutes in three-straight contests, highlighted by a team-best 20 points vs. Pittsburg State. Davis scored 14 vs. Missouri State and 11 at Northeastern State.

SATURDAY, WHAT A DAY:  The seventh day of the week has been a good one for Lincoln, which is 5-2 this season in games played on Saturday. The Blue Tigers are 4-1 against MIAA opponents on Saturday, and are 3-0 on that day of the week in home games. The only other day of the week in which LU has a winning record is Wednesday, as the Blue Tigers are 2-1 on that day in 2019-20.

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 sixth in the league, with opponents shooting just .339 beyond the arc.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES:  Jonell Burton, who is leading the Blue Tigers with 14.3 points per game, is currently 12th in the MIAA in scoring and 14th in total field goals made (88). Burton scored in double figures in each of the season's first five games and has tallied at least 10 points in 12 of Lincoln's 18 contests.

ON THE GLASS:  L'Kielynn Taylor has pulled down five or more boards in 16 of LU's 18 games with double-digit performances vs. six teams. His 8.2 average is the third-best in the MIAA while his 148 total rebounds are also third in the MIAA.

HOLD THE BALL:  LU has done a good job of taking care of the ball, finishing with more turnovers than opponents in just five games, with Lincoln possessing a 2-3 record in those contests. The Blue Tigers rank sixth in the MIAA and 68th in the country in fewest turnovers (231) while LU's +0.9 turnover margin ranks eighth in the league.

WORKING OVERTIME:  With an 88-84 win over Central Missouri, Lincoln improved to 2-1 in overtime games in 2019-20. The Blue Tigers, who beat Newman on the road and fell to Harris-Stowe at a neutral site in their other OT games of the year, are 7-5 in overtime contests under head coach John Moseley.

ROAD WARRIORS:  With just 10 home games in 2019-20, Lincoln's goal of making the postseason for a fifth-straight year will be decided by its play on the road. Starting last week, LU will play eight of the next 12 games on the road all of which will be against MIAA opponents. For the year, Lincoln is 2-5 in true road games.

FIELD TACTICS:  Eight Lincoln players are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Joe Davis (.560), leading five Lincoln players making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .441 from the field and is 6-1 when finishing with a better field goal pct. than its opponents. Jonell Burton individually ranks 11th in the MIAA with a .438 field goal percentage.

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 4.8 assists per night, the 58th-most in the country, and has dropped at least six dimes in eight games. Potts also averages 1.7 steals and has 31 total takeaways, and he rates fifth in the MIAA in both statistics.

REJECTIONS:  Lincoln has blocked 47 shots in 2019-20, with the 2.6 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 18 rejections.

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 remains at home on Saturday (Jan. 25) to take on Emporia State in a contest that is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. CST start.