Complete Game Notes | Game Day Policies
Game #6: Nebraska Kearney (6-0, 6-0 MIAA) at Lincoln (0-5, 0-5 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Tickets: https://lubluetigers.com/tickets

Game #7: Fort Hays State (5-1, 5-1 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Tickets: https://lubluetigers.com/tickets

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team tips off 2021 at home this week with a pair of games vs. MIAA opponents. The Blue Tigers welcome Nebraska Kearney to Jason Gym on Thursday (Jan. 7) for a 5:30 p.m. CST contest before taking on Fort Hays State on Saturday (Jan. 9) in a 1:00 p.m. CST match-up. These will be the third and fourth consecutive games for Lincoln in Jefferson City, as the Blue Tigers have been off since Dec. 12 after road games at Emporia State and Washburn were re-scheduled. Lincoln, which enters the week 0-5 overall and 0-5 in MIAA play, will get to test themselves against two of the conference's top teams in Nebraska Kearney (6-0 both overall and in the league) and Fort Hays State (5-1, 5-1 MIAA).

FAST BREAKS
- Thursday marks the 10th meeting between Lincoln and Nebraska Kearney, with UNK leading the series, 8-1.

- The Blue Tigers' victory over the Lopers was a 90-68 decision in Jason Gym in 2014-15.

- Lincoln and Fort Hays State meet for the 15th time on Saturday, with FHSU holding a 13-1 advantage in the all-time series.

- LU's victory over FHSU came in 2011-12, as the Blue Tigers edged Fort Hays State in overtime, 76-75, in Hays, Kan.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln has a pair of scoring threats in Niyah Jackson (17.8 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) and Deija Jackson (10.7 ppg.) while Vivian Chigbu leads LU with 5.4 boards per game. Both AJ Bradley and Haylie Holloway have seven steals, and Niyah Jackson has eight takeaways to go with 17 assists.

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
Pittsburg State 83, Lincoln 76
The game was tied at halftime at 39 apiece, but a 30-point third quarter launched the Gorillas to an 83-76 win over the Blue Tigers on Thursday (Dec. 10). Niyah Jackson led LU with 22 points and nine assists, and Vivian Chigbu pulled down seven rebounds to go with 15 points. Kiara Cadore came off the bench to provide 10 points.

Central Missouri 92, Lincoln 69
The Blue Tigers out-scored the Jennies by 11 in the second quarter to enter halftime down by just four, but UCM made over 50-percent of its shots in the second half to hand LU a 92-69 loss on Saturday (Dec. 12). Niyah Jackson led all scorers with 25, Joseline Ramos added 19 points and AJ Bradley finished with 16.

SCOUTING THE LOPERS:  Haley Simental's 9.5 ppg. lead a balanced UNK scoring attack that is averaging 62.0 points per night, compared to 48.7 by the Lopers' opponents. Brooke Carlson (9.3 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) is next on the scoring chart while Klaire Kirsch (8.5 rpg.) and Elisa Backes each score 7.7 points per game. Kirsch has 21 assists and 12 steals on the year, and Simental has 24 assists.

UNK HEAD COACH CARRIE EIGHMEY:  In her sixth season at Nebraska Kearney, Eighmey has led the Lopers to 96 wins, with UNK off to a 6-0 start in 2020-21. Last season, Eighmey led UNK to its best year as an MIAA member, as Nebraska Kearney finished 26-6 overall and 14-5 in the league. Before she joined the Lopers, she coached her alma mater, Hastings, to two trips to the NAIA Division II tournament.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  Fort Hays State leads the MIAA in scoring with 74.7 points per night, with Whitney Randall (15.2 ppg.), Jaden Hobbs (14.2) and Cydney Bergmann (9.8) accounting for more than half of that production. Bergmann (7.3 rpg.) and Katie Wagner (6.7) are leading FHSU in rebounding, and Hobbs averages a team-high 5.5 assists. FHSU has committed just 75 turnovers, and leads the MIAA with a 3.67 turnover margin.

FHSU HEAD COACH TONY HOBBS:  One of the most successful coaches in the country, Hobson has a career winning percentage of .765, that ranks him among the top-12 of all active coaches in NCAA Division II. FHSU has appeared in the Top-25 in seven of the past eight years and has made each of the past 10 MIAA tournaments, highlighted by a tourney championship in 2019. Hobson is a six-time league coach of the year.

TABULATING TURNOVERS:  Lincoln, which has 40 steals on the year, forces an average of 16 turnovers per night, the seventh-most in the MIAA and the 74th-most in Division II. LU ranks 46th nationally in total steals, while its 8.0 steals per game average rates fourth in the league. As a team, LU has turned the ball over 89 times, which ranks the Blue Tigers sixth in the MIAA.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK:  Newcomer Ashtin Ingram has eight blocks through five games, the fourth-most in the MIAA and the 21st-most in NCAA Division II. Ingram, who has two starts and averages 13.8 minutes per night, is ranked 36th nationally with 1.6 rejections per game.

UNDE-NIYAH-BLE:  Niyah Jackson eclipsed the 20-point threshold in each of the past two games, and her 17.8 ppg. average ranks fourth in the MIAA and 43rd nationally. Her 3.4 assists per game rank seventh in the conference, and her .507 field goal percentage is the fifth-best in the league. She has yet to score less than 12 points in a game.

OFF THE GLASS:  Vivian Chigbu averaged 7.8 rebounds in 2019-20 to finish fifth in the MIAA. This season, she is averaging 5.4 rebounds and has been especially strong on the offensive glass, averaging 2.6 boards per game, which is the second-most in the MIAA.

STAYING IN THE GAME:  Lincoln has done a good job of staying out of foul trouble, as LU has been whistled for just 94 transgressions in 2020-21. That total is not only the fifth-fewest in the MIAA, but also the 88th-best mark in NCAA Division II.

GOING DIGITAL:  Lincoln is partnering with Hometown Ticketing to sell all tickets to LU basketball games online in 2020-21. There will be no on-site ticket sales, as fans will either need to pull up their ticket on their phone or print them off in advance to be scanned at the gate. Due to MIAA regulations, tickets to Blue Tiger games will be sold on a limited basis, and members of the Blue Tiger Athletics Club will be given priority. For more information, visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/Tickets.

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:  Lincoln is on the road next Thursday (Jan. 14) to play Newman in Wichita, Kan. at 5:30 p.m. CST.