Complete Game Notes
Game #21: Lincoln (8-12, 5-6 MIAA) at Missouri Western (11-11, 7-4 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: MWSU Fieldhouse (3,750) in St. Joseph, Mo.
Tickets: Available at Site
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/mbball/

THE TIP OFF:  The first rematch of the season awaits the Lincoln men's basketball team on Wednesday (Feb. 5) when the Blue Tigers visit St. Joseph, Mo. for a 7:30 p.m. CST contest against Missouri Western. Lincoln is coming off a big win over Emporia State, as the Blue Tigers had one of their hottest shooting nights of the season en route to an 85-70 win on Saturday (Feb. 1). Lincoln will attempt to start a winning streak by defeating one of the hottest teams in the MIAA, as Missouri Western enters the week having won four-straight. The Griffons are 11-11 on the season, but 7-4 in MIAA play after sweeping Central Oklahoma and Newman last week. This game begins a stretch where LU will play six of its final eight contests on the road, and a rematch of a Dec. 7 tilt when Lincoln beat MWSU, 89-66, in Jefferson City.

FAST BREAKS
- This will be the 46th meeting between the Blue Tigers and the Griffons, with Missouri Western holding a 33-12 advantage in the series.

- Lincoln has won each of its last three meetings with the Griffons, including sweeping MWSU in two games last season.

- LU has won its past three games at MWSU Fieldhouse.

- The Blue Tigers are 7-4 against Missouri Western under head coach John Moseley.

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 14.4 per contest. Cameron Potts averages 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists, and Marcel Burton is next on the scoring chart with 10.5 points. L'Kielynn Taylor leads the Blue Tigers with 8.3 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:  Lincoln made seven treys in the first half and shot .554 from the floor to beat Emporia State, 85-70, in Jason Gym on Saturday (Feb. 1). The Blue Tigers, who also shot .789 at the line, forced ESU into 16 turnovers and finished with a 32-24 advantage in rebounding. Cameron Potts scored 13 points and dished five assists while Jonell Burton led LU with 20 points. Marcel Burton added 18 points and four rebounds.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Three Griffons are averaging double-digit points while a fourth, Reese Glover, is on the cusp with 8.2 points per night. Will Eames averages 12.0 points and 7.6 rebounds while Tyrell Carroll is the top scorer (17.8) and Beau Baker is next on the rebounding list (5.8). Tyus Millhollin, meanwhile, averages 15.0 points per contest.

MWSU HEAD COACH SUNDANCE WICKS:  Wicks, in his second season leading Missouri Western, owns a 23-29 record entering this week. Wicks previously was the associate head coach of his alma mater, Northern State, and helped the program to league regular season and tourney championships in 2017-18.

STARTING RIGHT:  The Blue Tigers have used 11 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 20 games this year. Taylor has made two more starts than the next Blue Tiger, Marcel Burton, who has started 18.

CHIEF THIEF:  Cameron Potts has been one of the MIAA's best at taking away the ball, as his 33 steals lead the Blue Tigers and rank fifth in the conference. Potts is averaging 1.7 steals per game, also the fifth-most in the MIAA, and has made multiple takeaways in 12 games this season.

GO JOE:  After averaging fewer than 10 minutes in his first seven games of the season, Joe Davis came off the bench to play more than 20 minutes in three-straight contests, highlighted by a team-best 20 points vs. Pittsburg State. Davis scored 14 vs. Missouri State and 11 at Northeastern State.

SATURDAY, WHAT A DAY:  The seventh day of the week has been a good one for Lincoln, which is 5-2 this season in games played on Saturday. The Blue Tigers are 4-1 against MIAA opponents on Saturday, and are 3-0 on that day of the week in home games. The only other day of the week in which LU is even .500 is Wednesday, as the Blue Tigers are 2-2 on that day in 2019-20.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES:  Jonell Burton, who is leading the Blue Tigers with 14.4 points per game, is currently 12th in the MIAA in scoring and 13th in total field goals made (100). Burton scored in double figures in each of the season's first five games and has tallied at least 10 points in 14 of Lincoln's 20 contests.

ON THE GLASS:  L'Kielynn Taylor has pulled down five or more boards in 18 of LU's 20 games with double-digit performances vs. seven teams. His 8.3 average is the third-best in the MIAA and his 166 total rebounds are also third in the MIAA.

HOLD THE BALL:  LU has done a good job of taking care of the ball, finishing with more turnovers than opponents in just six games, with Lincoln possessing a 2-4 record in those contests. The Blue Tigers rank sixth in the MIAA and 93rd in the country in fewest turnovers (262) while LU's +0.9 turnover margin ranks eighth in the league.

WORKING OVERTIME:  With an 88-84 win over Central Missouri, Lincoln improved to 2-1 in overtime games in 2019-20. The Blue Tigers, who beat Newman on the road and fell to Harris-Stowe at a neutral site in their other OT games of the year, are 7-5 in overtime contests under head coach John Moseley.

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 will play six of the next eight games on the road all of which will be against MIAA opponents. For the year, Lincoln is 2-5 in true road games.

FIELD TACTICS:  Eight Lincoln players are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Alafia Oluwasogo (.549), leading four LU players making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts. As a team, LU is shooting .441 from the field and is 7-1 when finishing with a better field goal pct. than its opponents. Jonell Burton individually ranks 10th in the MIAA with a .444 field goal percentage.

THE GIVER:  Cameron Potts leads Lincoln with 94 assists on the year, and is one of the MIAA's leaders in that category as well. Potts is fourth in the conference in assists per game (4.7) and fifth in total assists, and his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is seventh in the league. In assists per game, Potts ranks 64th in NCAA Division II.

REJECTIONS:  Lincoln has blocked 54 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 20 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 next travels to Maryville, Mo. to play Northwest Missouri on Saturday (Feb. 8) at 3:30 p.m. CST.