Complete Game Notes | Game Day Policies
Game #13: Northwest Missouri (4-7, 4-7 MIAA) at Lincoln (0-12, 0-12 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
 
Game #14: Missouri Western (2-7, 2-7 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
 
THE TIP OFF:  Two more home games are coming up this week for the Lincoln women's basketball team, as LU closes the month of January with a pair of rematches. The Blue Tigers host Northwest Missouri on Thursday (Jan. 28) at 5:30 p.m. CST before facing Missouri Western on Saturday (Jan. 30) at 1:00 p.m. CST. These are the first two rematches of 2020-21 for Lincoln, which dropped an 85-55 decision in Maryville, Mo. to NWMSU on Dec. 5, and fell to MWSU, 62-55, on Dec. 3. Northwest Missouri enters the week with a 4-7 record and has lost five of its past six games, including falling to Central Oklahoma, 61-51, on Saturday (Jan. 23). Missouri Western is 2-7 on the season and on a six-game skid.
 
FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Northwest Missouri will meet for the 50th time on Thursday, with the Bearcats leading the series, 39-10.
 
- The Blue Tigers last beat Northwest Missouri in 2018-19, as LU beat NWMSU on the road, 69-66.
 
- On Saturday afternoon, Lincoln and Missouri Western will meet for the 46th time. The Griffons lead the all-time series, 40-5.
 
- Lincoln's last victory over Missouri Western came in 2017-18, when the Blue Tigers picked up a 73-62 home win over the Griffons.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln is led offensively by Niyah Jackson with 14.8 points and 3.3 assists per game while Vivian Chigbu (6.7 ppg.) is the top rebounder with 5.9 per night. AJ Bradley averages 12.3 points and Aliyah Bello averages 6.8 points and 4.1 boards. Ashtin Ingram's 23 blocks are a team-high, and Simone Jordan is tallying 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds.
 
HEAD COACH ANDREA MIZE:  Andrea Mize is in her first year as the head coach at Lincoln after a successful two-year run at Central Florida College. In 2019-20, Mize led CFC to a 19-win season that included a victory in the first round of the FCSAA playoffs. A graduate of Indiana, Mize previously was an assistant coach at Martin Methodist, where she helped the program reach the NAIA national tournament three times.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Washburn 73, Lincoln 49
Lincoln forced 18 turnovers, but was held to .288 shooting as Washburn claimed a 73-49 victory over the Blue Tigers on Jan. 19. AJ Bradley led LU with nine points, Vivian Chigbu had eight to go with six rebounds, and Niyah Jackson added seven points.
 
Rogers State 81, Lincoln 79
After Rogers State scored 37 points in the opening quarter, Lincoln out-scored the Hillcats the rest of the way, 67-44. RSU ended up holding on for the win last Thursday (Jan. 21) despite Lincoln forcing 24 turnovers and AJ Bradley scoring a career-high 28 points. Niyah Jackson finished with 18 points and six assists and Aliyah Bello chipped in 16 points while Ashtin Ingram blocked four shots.
 
Northeastern State 89, Lincoln 79 (2OT)
Niyah Jackson tied the game with a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation, but Northeastern State ended up prevailing in double overtime, 89-79, on Saturday (Jan. 23). AJ Bradley led the Blue Tigers with 20 points, and Ashtin Ingram had 13 boards to go with four blocks. Vivian Chigbu grabbed 12 rebounds, and Jackson finished with 15 points.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Molly Hartnett (13.9 ppg.) and Jaelyn Haggard (10.4 ppg.) are Northwest Missouri's leading scorers, and Kylie Coleman is next with 8.9 points per game. Jayna Green leads the team in rebounding (4.7) and blocks (12), and Mallory McConkey averages a team-high 2.3 assists.
 
NWMSU HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER:  A four-year letterwinner on the Northwest Missouri men's basketball team from 2002-06, Meyer is in his third season leading the Bearcat women and enters the week with a career record of 24-45. From 2008-18, Meyer served as an assistant coach on the NWMSU men's basketball staff and helped lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2017.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Missouri Western averages 59.0 points per game, led by Brionna Budgetts with an 8.1 scoring average. Camille Evans, who leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game, is close behind Budgetts with 8.0 points per contest. Evans also leads the team with 2.4 assists per contest.
 
MWSU HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER:  In her first year with Missouri Western, Whitaker led the Griffons to 21 wins and a berth in the MIAA tournament. Whitaker, now in her second season at MWSU, previously spent nine years as a head coach at the Division I level, most recently at Texas Tech, where she led the Lady Raiders to four-straight appearances in the Big 12 tournament.
 
BASKETS FOR BRADLEY:  Over the last few games, AJ Bradley has emerged as a scoring threat, as she has posted three 20-point games in Lincoln's last four contests. Bradley poured in 27 against Central Oklahoma, then did one better with a 28-point night vs. Rogers State. Bradley, who also scored 20 against Northeastern State, is averaging 12.3 points for the season, the 16th-most in the MIAA.
 
TO THE LINE:  One key factor to AJ Bradley's success has been her ability to get to the free throw line, where she is shooting .739 on the season. Bradley has attempted 88 free throws in 2020-21, the second-most of any player in NCAA Division II. She has made 65 of those attemptes, the third-most of any DII player in the country.
 
TABULATING TAKEAWAYS:  Lincoln, which has 93 steals on the year, ranks 30th nationally and second in the MIAA in total steals. Lincoln's 7.8 steals per game are the fifth-most in the MIAA, while its 15.9 turnovers forced per contest rates third in the league. Individually, AJ Bradley ranks sixth in the conference with 21 steals, followed by Niyah Jackson (18 steals), Aliyah Bello (17) and Haylie Holloway (16).
 
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK:  Newcomer Ashtin Ingram has 23 blocks, the second-most in the MIAA and the ninth-most in NCAA Division II. Ingram, who has five starts and averages 18.7 minutes per night, is ranked 23rd nationally with 1.9 rejections per game.
 
UNDE-NIYAH-BLE:  Niyah Jackson eclipsed the 20-point twice this season, and her 14.8 ppg. average ranks 11th in the MIAA. Her 3.3 assists per game rank seventh in the league, and her .458 field goal percentage is the fifth-best in the conference. She has scored at least 10 points in all but one game this season.
 
JOIN THE CLUB:  Members who joined the Blue Tiger Athletics Club at the Coaches level of above will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets in 2020-21. Members at the Blue Tiger level will have the next chance. To join the BTAC, or to learn more about the club, please visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/BTAC.
 
WATCH LIVE:  Fans who are unable to attend a game in person will still be able to cheer on the Blue Tigers to victory via The MIAA Network. All 11 Lincoln home games will be broadcast through a new multi-camera system and can be seen at www.TheMIAANetwork.com/LUBlueTigers.
 
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:  The Blue Tigers head west to play Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. next Thursday (Feb. 4) at 5:30 p.m. CST.