Complete Game Notes
Game #27: Lincoln (10-16, 7-10 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (9-17, 5-12 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Pittsburg, Kan.
Live Stats: https://pittstategorillas.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #28: Lincoln at No. 22 Missouri Southern (19-7, 12-5 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020
Time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Site: Joplin, Mo.
Live Stats: https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  A playoff berth is on the line for the Blue Tigers as the Lincoln men's basketball team plays a pair of MIAA opponents in the final regular season games of 2019-20 this week. LU's magic number is one, as a win in either game will clinch a spot in the MIAA tournament for the Blue Tigers. Lincoln will take on one of the other teams vying for a sport in the playoffs on Wednesday (Feb. 26) when LU travels to Pittsburg, Kan. to take on Pittsburg State at 7:30 p.m. CST. It's a rematch of a game played on Jan. 18, when Lincoln topped Pittsburg State, 85-84, at home. The regular season finale is on Saturday (Feb. 29), with Lincoln playing Missouri Southern down in Joplin, Mo. at 3:30 p.m. CST. The Lions are currently ranked No. 22 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll, but has dropped three of its past four games.

FAST BREAKS
- LU and PSU meet for the 40th time on Wednesday night, with the Gorillas leading the series, 30-9.

- The Blue Tigers have won six of their past eight games against Pittsburg State.

- Lincoln and Missouri Southern meet for the 41st time on Saturday, with MSSU leading the series, 29-11.

- Missouri Southern beat Lincoln, 77-63, in Jefferson City back on Jan. 16.

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 15.4 per contest. Cameron Potts averages 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and Marcel Burton is next on the scoring chart with 10.5 points. L'Kielynn Taylor leads the Blue Tigers with 8.1 rebounds per night.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  Now in his sixth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley led LU to four postseason appearances in a row as well as 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 2001-02. The Blue Tigers have now posted double-digit wins in each of the past five seasons.

LAST TIME OUT:  After trailing by 23 at the half, Lincoln mounted a furious comeback to get back within four in the final minute on Saturday (Feb. 22). Washburn managed to escape with a 72-67 win, despite being out-scored by the Blue Tigers, 43-25, over the final 20 minutes. L'Kielynn Taylor scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed 13 boards, while Jonell Burton led LU with 23 points and Cameron Potts chipped in 11.

SCOUTING THE GORILLAS:  AJ Walker leads Pittsburg State with 16.5 points per game, while Jah-Kobe Womack is next with 13.8 per night. RJ Lawrence averages 9.3 points, followed by Dejon Waters, Jr. and Marcel Cherry, each of whom are averaging 8.9 points. Christian Edmondson is averaging a team-high 5.8 rebounds.

PSU HEAD COACH KIM ANDERSON:  In three seasons at Pittsburg State, Anderson is 43-43 and two berths in the MIAA tournament. Anderson, who coached at his alma mater, the University of Missouri, for three seasons prior to taking over at Pittsburg State, won the 2014 NCAA Divsion II championship as the coach of Central Missouri.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Cam Martin is one of the best all-around players in the MIAA, leading the Lions with 24.8 ppg., 9.2 rpg. and 40 blocks. Kinzer Lambert (13.1 ppg.) and Elyjah Clark (12.4) are also scoring in double figures, while Reggie Tharp leads Missouri Southern with 3.6 assists per night. Braelon Walker, MSSU's other starter, averages 8.3 points

MSSU HEAD COACH JEFF BOSCHEE:  In his sixth season as the head coach of the Lions, and his 10th 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.

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 26 games this year. He has made two more starts than Marcel Burton, who has started 24 games.

CHIEF THIEF:  Cameron Potts has been one of the MIAA's best at taking away the ball, as his 39 steals lead the Blue Tigers and rank fifth in the conference. Potts is averaging 1.5 steals per game, which rate as the sixth-most in the MIAA.

GO OLUWASOGO:  Alafia Oluwasogo has given LU a spark, ranking fourth on the team with 6.9 points per game. Oluwasogo, who has started three of the past four games, is shooting .521 from the floor and .813 at the free throw line.

SATURDAY, WHAT A DAY:  The seventh day of the week has been a good one for Lincoln, which is 7-4 this season in games played on Saturday. The Blue Tigers are 6-3 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 15.4 points per game, is currently 10th in the MIAA in scoring and ninth in total field goals made (138). Burton scored in double figures in each of the first five games of the season and has tallied at least 10 points in 20 of Lincoln's 26 contests.

ON THE GLASS:  L'Kielynn Taylor has pulled down five or more boards in 21 of LU's 26 games with double-digit performances vs. nine teams. His 8.1 average is the third-best in the MIAA and his 210 total rebounds are also third in the MIAA. Taylor additionally ranks 75th 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 (343) while LU's +0.04 turnover margin ranks 10th in the league.

THE GIVER:  Cameron Potts leads Lincoln with 106 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 (4.1) and fifth in total assists, and his 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is 10th in the league. In total assists, Potts ranks 100th in NCAA Division II.

REJECTIONS:  Lincoln has blocked 66 shots in 2019-20, with the 2.5 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 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:  If LU makes the field for the MIAA tournament, it will play on Wednesday (March 4) in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.