Complete Game Notes
Game #25: Lincoln (3-21, 0-15 MIAA) at No. 24 Central Missouri (20-4, 14-1 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 18, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: UCM Multipurpose Building (8,500) in Warrensburg, Mo.
Tickets: Available at Site
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://ucmathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team tips off a four-game road trip to finish the 2019-20 season on Tuesday night (Feb. 18) as the Blue Tigers travel to Warrensburg, Mo. to play Central Missouri in a 5:30 p.m. CST contest. For the third game in a row, Lincoln faces a program receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Division II poll, as UCM entered the week ranked No. 24 nationally in the last published ratings. Lincoln hosted No. 25 Nebraska Kearney last Thursday (Feb. 13), giving UNK all it could handle in a 60-52 loss. On Saturday (Feb. 15), the Blue Tigers ended their home slate against a Fort Hays State team receiving votes in the national poll, with FHSU claiming an 86-55 win over LU.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 61st meeting between Central Missouri and Lincoln, with the Jennies holding a 57-3 advantage in the all-time series.

- Lincoln's last two victories in this series both came in Warrensburg, as LU won, 82-76, in 2015-16, and 57-53 in 2011-12.

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

- This is a rematch of a game won by Central Missouri in Jason Gym, 82-60, back on Jan. 11.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With 10.9 points and 8.1 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 15.9 points per game, and Kyessence Collins leads Lincoln with 2.9 assists per contest and averages 6.9 points. Alecia Gulledge, meanwhile, has been an all-around asset to the Blue Tigers with 6.4 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 34 steals and 10 blocks.

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
Nebraska Kearney 60, Lincoln 52
A second quarter run that helped UNK out-score LU, 17-9, led to Nebraska Kearney escaping with a 60-52 win over the Blue Tigers in Jason Gym on Thursday (Feb. 13). Kaloni Pryear scored a game-high 21 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists. Vivian Chigbu doubled up with 10 rebounds and 14 points, and Alecia Gulledge had six points and six boards.

Fort Hays State 86, Lincoln 55
Alecia Gulledge led LU with 12 points, Kaloni Pryear scored eight and Vivian Chigbu grabbed eight rebounds, but Fort Hays State beat the Blue Tigers, 86-55, this past Saturday (Feb. 15). Kiara Shoulders added eight points and seven rebounds.

SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Three UCM players average more than 13 points per game, including Nija Collier, who is tallying 13.6 points per game while leading the team with 9.4 rebounds and 44 blocks. Megan Skaggs has rejected 21 shots and leads the team in scoring (16.7 ppg.) while Morgan Fleming averages 15.8 points and a team-high 3.6 assists.

UCM HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER:  With more wins than any other coach in the history of the UCM women's basketball program, Slifer has 326 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.

DOUBLE THE FUN:  Vivian Chigbu has reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding in seven games in 2019-20 and averages 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Chigbu, who twice has eclipsed 20 points in a game, grabbed at least 10 rebounds in six of the first eight games and has pulled down at least five boards in 16 games. She trails only Central Missouri's Nija Collier, who has nine, for the most double-doubles this season by an MIAA player.

...AND ONE:  Virja Lewis also has recorded a double-double this season, as she grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 24 points against Rogers State. Lewis, who also had a 10-rebound night vs. Washburn, had 10 points and eight boards against Central Missouri.

OFF THE BENCH:  Kiara Shoulders started LU's home finale on the bench, but ended up playing 21 minutes and scoring eight points while pulling down seven rebounds. On the season, she tallies 4.6 points and 4.3 boards per night.

ON THE REBOUND:  The Blue Tigers have established themselves as one of the MIAA's best rebounding teams, as Lincoln is fifth in the league in total rebounds per game (38.9) and leads the conference in offensive boards (14.5). Nationally, LU is 35th in DII in offensive boards.

GOOD ON THE GLASS:  Vivian Chigbu reached double figures in rebounding in each of the first four games and currently is fifth in the MIAA in rebounds per game with 8.1. Her total of 194 rebounds is the fifth-most in the MIAA.

A GLOBAL TEAM:  The 2019-20 Blue Tigers are representing six countries: Australia (Natasha Elliott and assistant coach Graham McFall); Spain (Anna Munoz Vidueira); Nigeria (Vivian Chigbu); Uruguay (Natasha Dolinsky); Bosnia & Herzegovina (Vedrana Radosavljevic); and, of course, the United States of America.

PRYEAR SUCCESS:  Kaloni Pryear, who started 14 games and made 19 total appearances a year ago, is Lincoln's scoring leader in 2019-20. Pryear opened the year with 18 points against Southern Arkansas and has reached double digits 17 times this year. Pryear has notched six 20-point performances, including a career-high 26 vs. Maryville.

TO THE TENS:  Kaloni Pryear is having an outstanding season offensively, averaging 15.9 points per game to lead LU and rank fifth in the MIAA. In 20 of the 23 games she's played, Pryear has scored at least 10 points, and she has reached the 20-point plateau six times. Pryear has made 143 field goals, the fifth-most in the MIAA, while her .453 field goal percentage is eighth in the league.

STEAL-GULL:  Alecia Gulledge leads Lincoln with 34 steals, with her 1.5 takeaways per game ranking 16th in the MIAA. Gulledge, who joins Natasha Dolinsky and Vivian Chigbu in the top-20 of the MIAA rankings for steals per game, has helped Lincoln post the conference's sixth-best team average of 8.3 takeaways per contest.

BOTH SIDES OF THE GLASS:  Whether she's on offense or defense, very few players rebound as well as Vivian Chigbu. Her 3.5 offensive boards per game are second in the MIAA and rank 35th nationally while her 4.6 defensive boards per game are 11th in the conference.

THE ROTATION KEEPS SPINNING:  Lincoln has changed up its lineup in nearly every game, using 17 different starting fives in 24 games in 2019-20. Ten Blue Tigers have made at least three starts, with only Vivian Chigbu having made as many as 22.

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:  Lincoln heads to Topeka, Kan. on Saturday (Feb. 22) to take on Washburn in a 1:00 p.m. CST contest.