Complete Game Notes
Game #26: Lincoln (10-15, 7-9 MIAA) at Washburn (15-10, 10-6 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Lee Arena (3,904) in Topeka, Kan.
Tickets: Available at Site
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball

THE TIP OFF:  Another day, another rematch for the Lincoln men's basketball team, which travels to Topeka, Kan. to play Washburn for the second time this season on Saturday (Feb. 22) at 3:00 p.m. CST. The two squads met in Jefferson City back on Jan. 29, with Lincoln falling to the Ichabods, 75-50. The Blue Tigers have gone 3-3 since then, but had a two-game win streak snapped this past Tuesday (Feb. 18) as Central Missouri broke a late tie with seven free throws to prevail, 69-62, in Warrensburg, Mo. Washburn has won three of its past four games and is coming off a home win over Central Missouri, 76-74, on Thursday evening (Feb. 20). Lincoln is eighth in the MIAA standings, with a two-game lead over three teams who are tied for ninth.

FAST BREAKS
- This is the 35th meeting between the Blue Tigers and the Ichabods, with Washburn leading the all-time series, 30-4

- The last time the two teams met in Topeka, Lincoln won, 75-73, in 2018-19. Washburn has beaten the Blue Tigers twice since then, both times in Jefferson City.

- This is the second of four-straight rematches for LU, as well as the fourth rematch for Lincoln in 2019-20.

- Washburn is 8-4 at home in 2019-20 while Lincoln is 2-8 in true road games.

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 15.0 per contest. Cameron Potts averages 11.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and Marcel Burton is next on the scoring chart with 10.6 points. L'Kielynn Taylor leads the Blue Tigers with 7.9 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 now posted double-digit wins in each of the past five seasons.

LAST TIME OUT:  The Blue Tigers were tied with the Mules with 1:25 remaining, but Central Missouri ended the game on a 7-0 run, with each point coming at the free throw line, as UCM beat LU, 69-62, in Warrensburg, Mo. on Tuesday (Feb. 18). Cameron Potts led Lincoln with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jonell Burton had 14 points while Marcel Burton and Alafia Oluwasogo each scored 10. Lincoln shot .456 for the game, but just .182 from three-point land.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Four players are averaging double digit points, with Tyler Geiman leading the team in both scoring (15.1) and assists (5.7). Jonny Clausing is the leading rebounder (7.2) while averaging 10.0 points, and Jalen Lewis is scoring 12.7 per night, followed on the scoring list by Drew Maschoff with 11.1 ppg.

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his third season as the head coach of the Ichabods, Ballard has led to Washburn to 61 victories after a pair of 20-win seasons to begin his tenure. He spent the previous four seasons at the Division I level, with stints at Wake Forest and Tulsa, and was the head coach at Baker from 2010-12.

ROAD WARRIORS:  With just 10 home games in 2019-20, Lincoln's goal of making the postseason for a fifth-straight year will be decided by its play on the road. Starting this week, LU is in the midst of a four-game road trip to end the season, and all of those contests are against MIAA opponents. For the year, Lincoln is 2-8 in true road games.

WORKING OVERTIME:  With a 74-71 win over Fort Hays State, Lincoln improved to 3-1 in games that have gone into overtime in 2019-20. The Blue Tigers, who beat Newman on the road, defeated Central Missouri at home and fell to Harris-Stowe at a neutral site in their other OT games of the year, are 8-5 in overtime contests under head coach John Moseley.

STARTING RIGHT:  The Blue Tigers have used 15 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 25 games this year. He has made two more starts than Marcel Burton, who has started 23 games.

CHIEF THIEF:  Cameron Potts has been one of the MIAA's best at taking away the ball, as his 38 steals lead the Blue Tigers and rank fifth in the conference. Potts is averaging 1.5 steals per game, are also the fifth-most in the MIAA.

GO OLUWASOGO:  Alafia Oluwasogo has given LU a spark, ranking fourth on the team with 7.3 points per game. Oluwasogo, who has started two of the past three games, is shooting .528 from the floor and .800 at the free throw line.

SATURDAY, WHAT A DAY:  The seventh day of the week has been a good one for Lincoln, which is 7-3 this season in games played on Saturday. The Blue Tigers are 6-2 against MIAA opponents on Saturday, and are 5-0 on that day of the week in home games. Two of Lincoln's other wins on the year have come on Wednesdays, while the other was on a Thursday evening.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES:  Jonell Burton, who leads the Blue Tigers with 15.0 points per game, is currently 12th in the MIAA in scoring and ninth in total field goals made (130). Burton scored in double figures in each of the first five games of the season and has tallied at least 10 points in 19 of Lincoln's 25 contests.

ON THE GLASS:  L'Kielynn Taylor has pulled down five or more boards in 20 of LU's 25 games with double-digit performances vs. eight teams. His 7.9 average is the third-best in the MIAA and his 197 total rebounds are also third in the MIAA. Taylor additionally ranks 85th 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 10 games, with Lincoln possessing a 4-6 record in those contests. The Blue Tigers rank ninth in the MIAA in fewest turnovers (327) while LU's +0.04 turnover margin ranks 11th in the league.

FIELD TACTICS:  Seven Lincoln players are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with L'Kielynn Taylor (.561), leading five LU players making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .439 from the field and is 9-2 when finishing with a better field goal pct. than its opponents. Jonell Burton individually ranks 11th in the MIAA with a .445 field goal percentage.

THE GIVER:  Cameron Potts leads Lincoln with 102 assists on the year, and is one of the MIAA's leaders in that category as well. Potts is sixth in the league in assists per game (4.1) and fifth in total assists, and his 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is ninth in the league. In total assists, Potts ranks 98th in NCAA Division II.

REJECTIONS:  Lincoln has blocked 64 shots in 2019-20, with the 2.6 rejections per game rating 10th in the MIAA. Jonell Burton, a member of the MIAA All-Defensive team in 2018-19, leads the Blue Tigers with 25 rejections and ranks seventh 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 returns to the Sunflower State on Wednesday (Feb. 26), as the Blue Tigers take on Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. at 7:30 p.m.