Complete Game Notes
Game #2: Lincoln (0-1, 0-1 MIAA) at Missouri Western (1-1, 1-1 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: St. Joseph, Mo.
Live Stats: https://gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Audio: http://www.facebook.com/BlueTigerAthletics
 
Game #3: Lincoln at Northwest Missouri (1-1, 1-1 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Maryville, Mo.
Live Stats: https://bearcatsports.com/sidearmstats/wbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Audio: http://www.facebook.com/BlueTigerAthletics
 
THE TIP OFF:  The first two road games of 2020-21 are up next for the Lincoln women's basketball team, which plays a pair of MIAA opponents this week. Up first for the Blue Tigers is Missouri Western, with LU tipping off against the Griffons on Thursday (Dec. 3) in St. Joseph, Mo. at 5:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln then travels to Maryville, Mo. on Saturday (Dec. 5) to take on Northwest Missouri in a 1:30 p.m. CST contest. The Blue Tigers are 0-1 after falling to Missouri Southern, 81-65, last Saturday (Nov. 28). Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri are each 1-1 heading into this week.
 
FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday evening, Lincoln and Missouri Western will meet for the 45th time. The Griffons lead the series, 39-5.
 
- Lincoln's last victory over Missouri Western came in 2017-18, when the Blue Tigers picked up a 73-62 home win over the Griffons.
 
- On Saturday, Lincoln will play Northwest Missouri for the 49th time. NWMSU holds a 38-10 edge in the series.
 
- Lincoln last beat Northwest Missouri in 2018-19, as LU beat NWMSU on the road, 69-66.
 
- That 2018-19 win over Northwest Missouri was also LU's last MIAA road victory.
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Three Blue Tigers scored in double figures in the opener, led by Niyah Jackson with 15 points and five assists. Deija Jackson added 12 points and Aliyah Bello, who led the team with three steals, chipped in 10, while AJ Bradley added eight points. Virja Lewis led Lincoln with six rebounds.
 
HEAD COACH ANDREA MIZE:  Andrea Mize is in her first year as the head coach at Lincoln after a successful two-year run at Central Florida College. In her first season with the Patriots, Mize led CFC to a four-win improvement and a slot in the Mid-Florida Conference Playoffs. In 2019-20, Mize led CFC to a 19-win season, including a victory in the first round of the playoffs. A graduate of Indiana, Mize previously served as an assistant coach at Martin Methodist, helping the program reach the NAIA national tournament three times.
 
LAST TIME OUT:  Niyah Jackson scored 15 points and dished five assists, and Deija Jackson had 12 points, but the Blue Tigers dropped their season opener to Missouri Southern, 81-65, on Saturday (Nov. 28) in Jason Gym. Aliyah Bello added 10 points and three steals, and AJ Bradley provided eight points, three boards and two takeaways. LU forced MSSU into 21 turnovers, but was held to .350 shooting from the field.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Camille Evans is off to a hot start, averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 boards and 5.0 assists through two games. Asia McCoy (10.5 ppg.), Mary Fultz (10.0 ppg.) and Jordan Cunningham (10.0 ppg.) are the other leading scorers, with Fultz averaging 4.5 rebounds.
 
MWSU HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER:  In her first year with Missouri Western, Whitaker led the Griffons to 21 wins and a berth in the MIAA tournament. Whitaker, now in her second season at MWSU, previously spent nine years as a head coach at the Division I level, most recently at Texas Tech, where she led the Lady Raiders to four-straight appearances in the Big 12 tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Most of the points for Northwest Missouri come from three players, with Molly Hartnett's 19.5 scoring average the best on the team. Jaelyn Haggard (17.0 ppg.) and Kylie Coleman (12.0 ppg.) are next on the scoring list, with Emma Atwood (7.0 ppg.) the only other Bearcat averaging more than three points per game. Hartnett also leads the team in rebounding (9.5), and Jayna Green is the leader in assists (3.5), blocks (2.0) and steals (1.5).
 
NWMSU HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER:  A four-year letterwinner on the Northwest Missouri men's basketball team from 2002-06, Meyer is in his third season leading the Bearcat women and enters the week with a career record of 20-38. From 2008-18, Meyer served as an assistant coach on the NWMSU men's basketball staff and helped lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2017.
 
TALLYING TAKEAWAYS:  Lincoln recorded 10 steals against Missouri Southern, giving the Blue Tigers the early MIAA lead in steals per game. Aliyah Bello and AJ Bradley combined for half of those takeaways, with each player ranked among the top-10 in the league in steals. On a national level, LU is eighth in NCAA Division II in steals per game and 31st in total steals.
 
TABULATING TURNOVERS:  Beyond the 10 steals, Lincoln forced 21 total turnovers against Missouri Southern, rating LU fifth in NCAA DII in that category. LU leads the MIAA in turnovers created, and holds the nation's 14th-best turnover margin.
 
HOME AND AWAY:  Lincoln will play 22 games this season, including 11 at Jason Gym. More than half of those home contests will take place in the month of January, when LU has just two contests on the road compared to six inside Jason Gym. December and February are another matter, as Lincoln is home for only four of the 14 contests scheduled in those months.
 
EXHIBITION SEASON:  Lincoln will have one exhibition game in 2020-21, and it will give the Blue Tigers a chance to test themselves against an NCAA Division I opponent. LU will travel to Springfield, Mo. on Monday, Dec. 7 to take on Missouri State in a 7:00 p.m. CST contest.
 
ON THE LINE:  Niyah Jackson made six of her seven free throw attempts in Lincoln's opener, giving her an .857 percentage at the line. The accuracy rate is the eighth-best in the MIAA, and ranks 34th in NCAA Division II out of 238 ranked players.
 
SHOOTING AND SCORING:  Deija Jackson made half of her 10 field goal attempts against Missouri Southern, and her .500 field goal percentage is the 32nd-best in NCAA Division II out of 238 ranked players. As a team, Lincoln scored 65 points, rating the Blue Tigers seventh in the MIAA in scoring.
 
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 plays an exhibition game in Springfield, Mo. vs. Missouri State on Monday (Dec. 7) at 7:00 p.m. CST.