Complete Game Notes
Game #5: Central Christian (4-2) at Lincoln (0-4)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #6: Lincoln at Central Missouri (3-1)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Warrensburg, Mo.
Live Stats: https://ucmathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team wraps up its non-conference slate this week and opens MIAA play this weekend. On Tuesday (Nov. 30), Lincoln plays its first home game of 2021-22 as the Blue Tigers take on Central Christian, a National Christian College Athletic Association program, at 7:00 p.m. CST. On Sunday (Dec. 5), the Blue Tigers tip off the MIAA season on the road in Warrensburg, Mo. with a 3:00 p.m. CST contest against Central Missouri.

FAST BREAKS
- On Tuesday night, Lincoln and Central Christian will meet for just the second time. The Blue Tigers won the first contest between the teams, 79-70, on the road back in 2007-08.

- This will be the only non-conference contest that LU will play at home in 2021-22, as well as the only non-MIAA game Lincoln will play that isn't part of a classic.

- The Blue Tigers and Central Missouri will meet for the 99th time on Sunday, with UCM leading the series, 61-37. The home team has won each of the past eight games, and LU and UCM have split the season series each of the past five years.

- This is the second-straight season that Lincoln will open MIAA play against Central Missouri. LU beat UCM at home, 86-80, last year in its MIAA opener.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln is led by Ni'Sean Rigmaiden with 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, while Chuck Wilson averages 9.0 points and Destan Williams, who leads the Blue Tigers with 5.5 assists per game, is averaging 8.8 points. Derrick Woods and Aaron Burt are both averaging 3.5 rebounds, with Woods also scoring 8.0 points per night.

HEAD COACH ED WILSON:  Last spring, Ed Wilson was elevated to the position of interim head coach after serving as Lincoln's assistant coach the previous seven seasons. In that span, Wilson helped lead Lincoln to six postseason berths, including a trip to the semifinals of the 2019 MIAA Championship. Wilson has coached 16 Blue Tigers to some form of All-MIAA honor.

LAST TIME OUT
Arkansas-Monticello 73, Lincoln 67
Lincoln tried to rally from a nine-point halftime deficit with 46 second-half points, but the Blue Tigers dropped their 2021-22 season opener, 73-67, to Arkansas-Monticello. The game was played in Kansas City, Mo. in Municipal Auditorium as part of the Central Region Challenge. Lincoln was led by Destan Williams with 17 points and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden with 16 points.

Minnesota State-Mankato 92, Lincoln 69
Chuck Wilson and Derrick Woods each scored 17 points, but the Blue Tigers fell to a hot-shooting Minnesota State-Mankato, 92-69, in Kansas City on Nov. 14. The Mavericks shot a blistering .644 from the field, though Lincoln shot .917 at the free throw line and .400 from long distance. John Gaines added nine points to the Lincoln effort.

Missouri-St. Louis 80, Lincoln 72
The Blue Tigers tried to rally in the final minutes, but Missouri-St. Louis beat Lincoln on Tuesday evening (Nov. 23). Mark Boland led LU with 12 points and Derrick Woods added nine. Destan Williams finished with nine assists, nine points and five rebounds.

Maryville 82, Lincoln 55
Mekhi Kimble scored a team-high 14 points, John Gaines added 10 points and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden added 11, but the Blue Tigers fell to Maryville on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 24). Destan Williams dished seven assists and collected five rebounds, and Chuck Wilson provided seven points.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS:  Central Christian has three players scoring in double figures, led by Rodrigo Nunez with 16.8 points per contest. Trey Black, the NCCAA Player of the Week earlier in the year, averages 14.8 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per night, and is leading the program with 29 assists and 12 steals. Jackson King (15.3 ppg.) is second on the team in scoring, and has eight steals on the year.

CCC HEAD COACH JACK DEFREITAS:  Now in his 11th season as the head coach of the Saints, Defreitas is the program's all-time wins leader with 119 career victories. In 2017-18, Defreitas led Central Christian to its first-ever conference title. In his career, Defreitas has coached teams to three league championships and one national tourney appearance.

SCOUTING THE MULES:  Ja'Cor Nelson leads Central Missouri in scoring (12.5 ppg.), rebounds (5.0 rpg.) and steals (14), while Gaven Pinkley is next on the scoring chart with 12.3 points per game. Koray Gilbert (11.5 ppg.) is next for UCM on the scoring chart, while Cameron Hunter and Matt Todd are tied for the team-lead in assists with 3.5 per contest.

UCM HEAD COACH DOUG KARLESKINT:  In his eighth season as the head coach of the Mules, Karleskint has directed Central Missouri to more than 100 wins and a trip to the NCAA Division II tournament. Three of his Mules teams have eclipsed 20 wins in a season. Karleskint came to UCM after a four-year career at Arkansas Tech in which he won 89 games and qualified for the NCAA tournament every year.

PASSING GRADE:  Destan Williams has excelled at getting the ball to his open teammates, as he ranks second in the MIAA and 32nds in NCAA Division II with 5.5 assists per contest. His 22 total assists are the fifth-most in the league, and his nine assists against Missouri-St. Louis are tied for the third-most in a single game by any conference player in 2021-22.

FROM DOWNTOWN:  Lincoln is shooting .403 from three-point range this season, the second-best percentage in the MIAA and the 39th-best in NCAA Division II. Both Ni'Sean Rigmaiden and Mark Boland have made seven treys on the year, with Rigmaiden shooting at a .583 clip and Boland firing at a .538 rate. The Blue Tigers have made 31 three-pointers on the season, while opponents have made just 25.

LU IN THE MIAA:  The Blue Tigers rank highly in the league in several statistics, including rating second in three-point accuracy (.403) and sixth in offensive rebounds (9.5). LU is fifth in the conference with only 73 fouls on the season, and is also fifth in the league in turnovers forced with 14.0 per game.

GET YOUR TICKETS:  Lincoln is partnering with Hometown Ticketing once again to sell tickets to all of LU's basketball games online in 2021-22. For more information, visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/Tickets.

JOIN THE CLUB:  The Blue Tiger Athletics Club is a great way to engage with other LU fans while supporting Lincoln student-athletes. Every dollar raised by the club goes towards scholarships, improving facilities and purchasing equipment. To join the BTAC, or to learn more, 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 12 LU 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 return to Jason Gym to host Missouri Western on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. CST.