Complete Game Notes
Game #27: Lincoln (3-23, 0-17 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (16-9, 12-5 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Pittsburg, Kan.
Live Stats: https://pittstategorillas.com/sidearmstats/wbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #28: Lincoln at Missouri Southern (9-16, 6-11 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Joplin, Mo.
Live Stats: https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  The Blue Tigers close the 2019-20 season this week with a pair of road rematches against MIAA opponents. On Wednesday (Feb. 26), the LU women's basketball team travels to Pittsburg, Kan. for a 5:30 p.m. CST contest against Pittsburg State. It's a rematch of a game won by the Gorillas, 84-63, back on Jan. 18 inside Jason Gym. On Saturday (Feb. 29), Lincoln travels down to Joplin, Mo. to take on Missouri Southern at 1:30 p.m. CST. That game, the regular season finale, is a rematch of another contest played in Jefferson City, as the Lions beat the Blue Tigers, 74-65, on Jan. 16. Lincoln is coming off an 85-56 loss to Washburn on Saturday (Feb. 22), while PSU is on a four-game winning streak. Missouri Southern, meanwhile, is coming off a loss and has won just twice in its past six games.

FAST BREAKS
- Wednesday marks the 36th meeting between Lincoln and Pittsburg State, with PSU leading the series, 34-1.

- LU's win over the Gorillas came in 2012, when Lincoln beat Pittsburg State, 83-77, in the quarterfinals of the MIAA tournament.

- Lincoln and Missouri Southern will play for the 35th time on Saturday, with MSSU leading the series, 31-3.

- The last time Lincoln beat Missouri Southern was a 66-61 home win in 2011-12.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  With 10.4 points and 7.7 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 15.4 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 6.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 38 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:  Washburn shot .765 from the field and .750 from long range in the first quarter en route to an 85-56 victory over the Blue Tigers in Topeka, Kan. on Saturday (Feb. 22). Lincoln was led offensively by Natasha Elliott with 14 points and Kaloni Pryear with eight. Alecia Gulledge came very close to a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds, and Vivian Chigbu added eight points, six boards and four assists.

SCOUTING THE GORILLAS:  Four Pittsburg State players are averaging double digit points, led by Tristan Gegg with 18.8 per night. PSU's top rebounder is Athena Alvarado, who averages 14. 0 points and 8.3 boards, and Kaylee DaMitz (13.2 ppg.) and Maya Williams (11.5 ppg.) are the other top scorers. DaMitz additionally leads PSU with 138 assists and 37 steals.

PSU HEAD COACH AMANDA DAVIED:  After serving as an assistant coach with the Gorillas for 14 seasons, Davied was promoted to head coach beginning with the 2018-19 season. As an assistant, Davied helped Pittsburg State go 283-160 with five trips to the NCAA Division II tournament and the 2017 MIAA regular season championship.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Zoe Campbell leads the MIAA with 58 blocks, 11 more than the next-best shot rejector, and her 7.1 rebounding average also leads Missouri Southern. Chasidee Owens, who is next on the rebounding chart with 6.9 per night, is the team's leading scorer (14.7 ppg.), followed by Destiny Cozart (14.2) and Campbell (9.3). Amber Buch leads MSSU in assists (2.9 apg.), and Cozart has a team-high 31 steals.

MSSU HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL:  An alum of MSSU, Ressel was promoted to head coach in 2016 after spending the previous three years as an assistant with the program. Ressel helped the Lions average 19 wins as an assistant and has won 46 games as the head coach. Before he began his tenure with the women's team, he served as an assistant with the MSSU men's team.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED...:  No team in the MIAA is better at recovering from a missed shot than the Blue Tigers, as Lincoln leads the league with 14.2 offensive rebounds per night. Two LU players are among the top-five in the conference on the offensive glass, as Vivian Chigbu is third in the conference (3.3 orpg.) while Kaloni Pryear (2.8) is tied for fifth.

DOUBLE THE FUN:  Vivian Chigbu has reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding in seven games in 2019-20 and averages 10.4 points and 7.7 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 17 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.

DOLING SOME HELP:  Natasha Dolinsky leads the Blue Tigers with 53 total assists for 2.0 per game, the best among LU players with at least 10 appearances this year. She also has 33 steals and four blocks on the year, and Dolinsky is scoring 6.6 points per night, the fourth-best average on the team.

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 18 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 15.4 points per game to lead LU and rank sixth in the MIAA. In 21 of the 25 games she's played, Pryear has scored at least 10 points, and she has reached the 20-point plateau six times. Pryear has made 151 field goals, the fifth-most in the MIAA, while her .447 field goal percentage is 10th in the league.

GOOD ON THE GLASS:  Vivian Chigbu reached double figures in rebounding in each of the first four games and currently is seventh in the MIAA in rebounds per game with 7.7.

BOTH SIDES OF THE GLASS:  Whether she's on offense or defense, very few players rebound as well as Vivian Chigbu. Her 3.3 offensive boards per game are third in the MIAA and rank 42nd nationally.

THE ROTATION KEEPS SPINNING:  Lincoln has changed up its lineup in nearly every game, using 17 different starting fives in 26 games in 2019-20. Ten Blue Tigers have made at least three starts, with only Vivian Chigbu and Alecia Gulledge having made as many as 23.

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.