Complete Game Notes
Game #23: Nebraska Kearney (14-8, 8-5 MIAA) at Lincoln (8-14, 5-8 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #24: Fort Hays State (11-11, 4-9 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team closes the home portion of its 2019-20 season this week with a pair of games in Jason Gym. The Blue Tigers first will play Nebraska Kearney on Thursday (Feb. 13), with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln will then host Fort Hays State on Saturday (Feb. 15) at 3:00 p.m. CST. Prior to the FHSU contest, Lincoln will hold a Senior Day ceremony to honor Jonell Burton, Marcel Burton, Zack Fields, DJ Ward and L'Kielynn Taylor before their final game in Jason Gym. The Blue Tigers dropped a 96-49 decision at Northwest Missouri on Saturday (Feb. 8) and will try to snap a two-game skid against a UNK team that is 14-8 on the year and an FHSU squad that is 11-11 overall and 4-9 in league play.

FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday, Lincoln and Nebraska Kearney will meet for the 13th time, with UNK holding a 7-5 lead in the all-time series.

- Nebraska Kearney and Lincoln have split the last two games between the programs, with each team winning on its home court.

- Saturday marks the 23rd time that Lincoln will play Fort Hays State, with FHSU leading the series, 14-8.

- LU beat FHSU, 74-69, in the quarterfinals of the MIAA tournament in March of 2019.

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 14.7 per contest. Cameron Potts averages 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and Marcel Burton is next on the scoring chart with 10.6 points. L'Kielynn Taylor leads the Blue Tigers with 8.0 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:  Northwest Missouri, ranked No. 1 in the country in the NABC Division II poll, shot .538 overall, .519 from three-point range and .923 at the free throw line en route to a 96-49 win over Lincoln on Saturday (Feb. 8). Cameron Potts led the Blue Tigers with 14 points, seven boards and two steals, and Jonell Burton added 12 points.

SCOUTING THE LOPERS:  Morgan Soucie (16.5 points per game), AJ Jackson (14.0 ppg.) and Jake Walker (12.4 ppg.) are Nebraska Kearney's top scorers, with Soucie also leading the program in rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and assists (2.9 apg.). Kyle Juhl, who leads the Lopers with 25 steals, is next with 8.5 points per night.

UNK HEAD COACH KEVIN LOFTON:  In 2015-16, Lofton's first season as UNK's sole head coach, he guided the Lopers to the title game of the MIAA tournament as well as a bid to the NCAA tourney. Lofton spent the previous 10 years as UNK's co-head coach, and led the team to 171 wins, including 117 in league play. Over the past four seasons, Lofton has led the Lopers to more than 50 victories.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  Jared Vitztum is Fort Hays State top player on both sides of the ball, as he is averaging 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds with 13 blocks on the year. Devin Davis is next on the scoring list with 9.8 ppg., and Aaron Nicholson leads the team with 2.4 assists per contest.

FHSU HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON:  The all-time wins leader at Fort Hays State, Johnson has more than 350 victories with the Tigers and has led FHSU to seven appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers have won at least 20 games in nine seasons under Johnson, with three players earning All-American honors.

STARTING RIGHT:  The Blue Tigers have used 13 different starting lineups in 2019-20, with no set of five players starting more than four contests together. The only constant has been L'Kielynn Taylor, as the senior has started all 22 games this year. He has made two more starts than Marcel Burton, who has started 19 games.

CHIEF THIEF:  Cameron Potts has been one of the MIAA's best at taking away the ball, as his 36 steals lead the Blue Tigers and rank fifth in the conference. Potts is averaging 1.6 steals per game, also the fifth-most in the MIAA, and has made multiple takeaways in 13 games this season.

GO OLUWASOGO:  Alafia Oluwasogo came off the bench to score 11 against Missouri Western, tallying his third double-digit performance in his past seven games. In that span, Oluwasogo has scored at least six points in every game, and has been nearly perfect at the line (.864).

SATURDAY, WHAT A DAY:  The seventh day of the week has been a good one for Lincoln, which is 6-3 this season in games played on Saturday. The Blue Tigers are 5-2 against MIAA opponents on Saturday, and are 4-0 on that day of the week in home games. Both of Lincoln's other wins on the year have come on Wednesdays, where the Blue Tigers are 2-3 on the season.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES:  Jonell Burton, who leads the Blue Tigers with 14.7 points per game, is currently 13th in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in total field goals made (111). Burton scored in double figures in each of the first five games of the season and has tallied at least 10 points in 16 of Lincoln's 22 contests.

ON THE GLASS:  L'Kielynn Taylor has pulled down five or more boards in 19 of LU's 22 games with double-digit performances vs. seven teams. His 8.0 average is the third-best in the MIAA and his 177 total rebounds are also third in the MIAA. Taylor additionally ranks 74th in Division II in rebounds per game.

HOLD THE BALL:  LU has done a good job of taking care of the ball, finishing with more turnovers than opponents in just seven games, with Lincoln possessing a 2-5 record in those contests. The Blue Tigers rank eighth in the MIAA and 98th in the country in fewest turnovers (286) while LU's +0.6 turnover margin ranks eighth in the league.

FIELD TACTICS:  Eight Lincoln players are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Alafia Oluwasogo (.536), leading four LU players making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .435 from the field and is 7-1 when finishing with a better field goal pct. than its opponents. Jonell Burton individually ranks 15th in the MIAA with a .439 field goal percentage.

THE GIVER:  Cameron Potts leads Lincoln with 97 assists on the year, and is one of the MIAA's leaders in that category as well. Potts is fifth in the league in assists per game (4.4) and fifth in total assists, and his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is eighth in the league. In assists per game, Potts ranks 81st in NCAA Division II.

REJECTIONS:  Lincoln has blocked 59 shots in 2019-20, with the 2.7 rejections per game rating ninth in the MIAA. Jonell Burton, a member of the MIAA All-Defensive team in 2018-19, leads the Blue Tigers with 22 rejections and ranks ninth in the conference in total blocks.

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 begins a four-game road trip on Tuesday (Feb. 18) with a 7:30 p.m. game at Central Missouri.