Complete Game Notes
Game #14: Central Missouri (10-3, 4-0 MIAA) at Lincoln (3-10, 0-4 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2019
Time: 1:00 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/

THE TIP OFF:  A three game homestand for the Lincoln women's basketball team tips off on Saturday (Jan. 11) when the Blue Tigers welcome Central Missouri to Jason Gym for a 1:00 p.m. CST contest. The Blue Tigers will try to extend a two-game home winning streak while also picking up their first MIAA victory of 2019-20. LU beat Hannibal-LaGrange and Eureka in its last two games at Jason Gym, but dropped a pair of contests on the road in its first games of the new year, as Lincoln dropped an 82-46 decision at Newman on Jan. 4 and lost against Central Oklahoma, 88-57, on Monday (Jan. 6). Central Missouri, on the other hand, is riding a seven-game win streak, as the Jennies are 10-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 60th meeting between Central Missouri and Lincoln, with the Jennies leading the all-time series, 56-3.

- Central Missouri has won each of the past six games in the series.

- LU's last win in Jason Gym against the Jennies came at the end of the 1997-98 season, when the Blue Tigers beat UCM, 51-47.

- Lincoln's last two victories over Central Missouri each came in Warrensburg, Mo., as LU won, 82-76, in 2015-16, and 57-53 in 2011-12.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With 12.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per night, Vivian Chigbu is averaging close to a double-double and leads LU on the glass. Kaloni Pryear is scoring a team-high 16.1 points per game, and Alecia Gulledge is next on the scoring chart at 7.5 ppg. Kiara Shoulders averages 5.1 boards while Kyessence Collins, with 4.0 per game, is LU's leader in assists.

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
Newman 82, Lincoln 46
Vivian Chigbu and Kaloni Pryear each scored 13 points, but the Blue Tigers fell to Newman in their first meeting as MIAA rivals on Saturday (Jan. 4). Chigbu also pulled down seven rebounds and Kyessence Collins had five assists while Alecia Gulledge provided five points and four steals.

Central Oklahoma 88, Lincoln 57
Central Oklahoma out-scored Lincoln, 23-6, in the first quarter, and the Blue Tigers never came closer than within 10 the rest of the way as the Bronchos beat the Blue Tigers on Monday night (Jan. 6). LU was led offensively by Kaloni Pryear with 13 points and Alecia Gulledge with 10 while Natasha Dolinsky had five steals and four assists.

SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Three UCM players average more than 13 points per game, including Nija Collier, who is tallying 13.2 points per game while leading the team with 8.7 rebounds and 23 blocks. Morgan Skaggs has rejected 12 shots and leads the team in scoring (15.9 ppg.) while Morgan Fleming averages 14.4 points and a team-high 3.8 assists. UCM averages close to 10 points more per game than its opponents (66.2-56.5).

UCM HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER:  With more wins than any other coach in the history of the UCM women's basketball program, Slifer has 316 victories with the Jennies and over 700 wins in his career. Slifer, who was selected as the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2013, has led the Jennies to ten 20-win seasons and the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

KY'S THE KEY:  Kyessence Collins has given LU an immediate impact since joining the lineup on Dec. 14, including dishing 16 assists for a 4.0 apg. average. Collins, who has started each of the last three contests, had nine points, five assists and five rebounds in her debut performance against Hannibal-LaGrange, is averaging five points and three rebounds for the season and has four steals as well as two blocks.

TO THE TENS:  Kaloni Pryear is off to a fantastic start offensively, averaging 16.1 points per game to lead Lincoln and rank sixth in the MIAA. In all 12 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, who has reached the 20-point plateau three times, has made 78 field goals, the fourth-most in the MIAA, while her .503 field goal percentage is fifth 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 12.0 points and 8.9 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 is second in the league in total rebounds per game (42.2) and leads the conference in offensive boards (16.5). Nationally, Lincoln ranks 12th in DII in offensive rebounding & 49th in total 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 59th in the nation in rebounds per game with 8.9. Her total of 116 rebounds is the most in the MIAA and the 56th-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 5.1 boards per contest. Shoulders, who also averages 6.2 points, is 15th in the league in defensive rebounding with 4.1 per night as well as 20th in the conference in total rebounding. Shoulders' play has helped Lincoln post the sixth-best rebounding margin in the MIAA (+3.8).

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 12 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 4.1 offensive rebounds per game lead the MIAA and are 18th nationally while her 4.8 defensive boards per game are eighth in the conference.

THE ROTATION KEEPS SPINNING:  Lincoln has changed up its lineup in nearly every game, using 11 different starting fives in 13 games in 2019-20. 10 Blue Tigers have made at least two starts, with only Vivian Chigbu having made as many as 12.

DOLING SOME HELP:  Natasha Dolinsky leads the Blue Tigers with 27 total assists for an average of 2.1 per game. She also has 24 steals, tied for the 13th-most in the MIAA, and three blocks on the year, and Dolinsky is scoring 5.8 points per night while averaging 3.8 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:  The Blue Tigers are back at home on Thursday (Jan. 16) to host Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m. CST.