Complete Game Notes | Game Day Policy
Game #2: #21 Missouri Southern (2-0, 2-0 MIAA) at Lincoln (1-0, 1-0 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jason Gym (1,538) in Jefferson City, Mo.
Tickets: Available on a Limited Basis at http://www.LUBlueTigers.com/Tickets
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers/
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
 
THE TIP OFF:  Fresh off a season-opening victory, the Lincoln men's basketball team aims for a 2-0 start to the 2020-21 season on Saturday (Nov. 28) when LU hosts Missouri Southern in a 3:00 p.m. CST contest. The Blue Tigers won their opener last Saturday (Nov. 21), beating Central Missouri, 86-80. Five Blue Tigers reached double figures in scoring, and LU forced 12 turnovers to hold off a late rally by the Mules. This weekend's opponent is an MSSU squad that is 2-0 entering a road game at Central Missouri on Tuesday night (Nov. 24). The Lions earned both their wins on the road, beating Central Oklahoma, 75-74, and Newman, 82-79.
 
FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 42nd meeting between the Blue Tigers and the Lions, with Missouri Southern leading the series, 30-11.
 
- Missouri Southern has won the last two meetings, as the Lions swept the Blue Tigers in two games last season. Lincoln's last victory over the Lions came on Jan. 5, 2019, when the Blue Tigers beat Missouri Southern, the No. 20 team in the nation at the time, 90-83.
 
- Missouri Southern enters the week ranked No. 21 in the NABC Division II poll. LU's last win over a ranked team was that 2019 victory over MSSU.
 
- Lincoln is seeking its first 2-0 start since 2016-17.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Five Blue Tigers scored in double figures in LU's opener, led by Sai Witt, who scored 19 and grabbed nine rebounds. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden chipped in 11 points and pulled down eight boards, and Yaniel Vidal added 18 points to the winning effort. Both Quinton Drayton and Cameron Potts scored 14.
 
HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  Now in his seventh season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led Lincoln to five-straight postseason appearances, and guided the team to four-consecutive winning seasons between 2015-16 and 2018-19. 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 the 2001-02 season.
 
LAST TIME OUT:  Lincoln built an 18-point lead early in the second half and held off a late rally by Central Missouri for a season-opening 86-80 win last Saturday (Nov. 21). Sai Witt scored 19 and grabbed nine rebounds while Yaniel Vidal added 18 points and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden finished with 11 and eight boards. Quinton Drayton and Cameron Potts each chipped in 14 points.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Cam Martin, an All-MIAA first team performer a year ago, is off to a strong start in 2020-21 with 24.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Three other MSSU players are averaging double digit points: Stan Scott (16.5), Winston Dessesow (12.5) and Kyle Younge (11.5). RJ Smith is grabbing 5.5 boards per game, and Christian Bundy has blocked three shots while recording four steals.
 
MSSU HEAD COACH JEFF BOSCHEE:  In his seventh season as the head coach of the Lions, and his 11th season with the progam overall, Boschee has led Missouri Southern to five DII tourney appearances over the past seven years. Boschee has led the Lions to four 20-win seasons and has guided the team to the postseason every year.
 
SAI WITH THE BASKET:  Sai Witt had quite the Blue Tiger debut, coming one rebound shy of a double-double in LU's win vs. Central Missouri. Witt, who had 19 points, gave Lincoln a boost on both ends of the court, as Lincoln out-scored the Mules by 17 while he was in the game. Witt played 24 minutes in the opener, and added an assist and a steal to the winning cause.
 
WELCOME BACK:  After missing last season with a preseason injury, Ni'Sean Rigmaiden is back in 2020-21, and has already given LU an edge. Rigmaiden finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists, and Lincoln was +12 when he was on the court. Rigmaiden was only called for one foul and committed just a single turnover in 36 minutes of work last Saturday.
 
HOT-SHOOTING:  Yaniel Vidal gave Lincoln 18 points against Central Missouri, and did so while shooting very accurately all over the court. Vidal made four of his five attempts from three-point land, and was 4-for-6 from the field for the game. Vidal was also clutch at the line, connecting on six of his nine free throw attempts.
 
LEADING THE LEAGUE:  Through the first week of the season, Lincoln is at the top of the MIAA scoring chart. The Blue Tigers are tied with defending champion Northwest Missouri with a league-best 86.0 points per game. LU's .490 field goal percentage ranks third while its 27.0 rebounding defense is the second best in the conference. Individually, Yaniel Vidal ranks third with a .714 field goal percentage.
 
ALL-MIAA, ALL-YEAR:  For the first time in team history, Lincoln will play a schedule that comprises entirely of MIAA opponents. LU will play 22 league games, its most in a season since 2010-11, with 11 home contests and 11 on the road. This will mark the first time Lincoln has opened a year against a current MIAA opponent since 2007-08, when LU opened with a neutral site contest against Washburn.
 
ALL-AROUND ASSET:  Cameron Potts filled out the stat sheet last year, ranking among the top Blue Tigers in just about every category. That success continued in the season opener, as Potts had 14 points, four rebounds, a team-high three assists, a steal and a block.
 
GOOD ON THE COURT:  For the fifth-straight season, the Blue Tigers qualified for the MIAA tournament in 2019-20. With LU's win over Central Oklahoma in the first round, Lincoln has now won a playoff game in four of those five postseasons, highlighted by a trip to the semifinals of the 2019 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship.
 
...AND GOOD IN THE CLASSROOM:  LU also excelled in the classroom in 2019-20, earning one of the prestigious NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards. Nine players had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, with four 4.0 students, as LU had a combined team GPA higher than 3.0.
 
GOING DIGITAL:  Lincoln is partnering with Hometown Ticketing to sell all tickets to LU basketball games online in 2020-21. There will be no on-site ticket sales, as fans will either need to pull up their ticket on their phone or print them off in advance to be scanned at the gate. Due to MIAA regulations, tickets to Blue Tiger games will be sold on a limited basis, and members of the Blue Tiger Athletics Club will be given priority. For more information, visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/Tickets.
 
JOIN THE CLUB:  Members who joined the Blue Tiger Athletics Club at the Coaches level of above will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets in 2020-21. Members at the Blue Tiger level will have the next chance. To join the BTAC, or to learn more about the club, please visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/BTAC.
 
WATCH LIVE:  Fans who are unable to attend a game in person will still be able to cheer on the Blue Tigers to victory via The MIAA Network. All 11 Lincoln home games will be broadcast through a new multi-camera system and can be seen at www.TheMIAANetwork.com/LUBlueTigers.
 
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 heads to St. Joseph, Mo. next Thursday (Dec. 3) to play Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. CST.