Complete Game Notes
Game #10: Lincoln (4-5, 0-3 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (7-2, 3-1 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021
Site: 5:30 p.m. CST
Time: Pittsburg, Kan.
Live Stats: https://pittstategorillas.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers
Live Audio: https://mixlr.com/lincoln-blue-tigers

Game #11: Lincoln at Missouri Southern (6-2, 3-0 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Joplin, Mo.
Live Stats: https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers
Live Audio: https://mixlr.com/lincoln-blue-tigers

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team ends 2021 on the road this week with a pair of game vs. MIAA opponents. The Blue Tigers first play Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. on Wednesday (Dec. 15) in a 5:30 p.m. CST contest. On Saturday (Dec. 18), Lincoln visits Joplin, Mo. to take on Missouri Southern at 1:30 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers are 4-5 on the season after falling in a pair of home games last week. Lincoln is off to its best start since 2018-19, though, and will try to end the 2021 calendar year on a high note against two teams that are on winning streaks. Pittsburg State has won each of its last two games while the Lions have won six in a row.

FAST BREAKS
- Thursday marks the 39th meeting between Lincoln and Pittsburg State. The Gorillas lead the all-time series, 37-1.

- LU's victory over Pittsburg State came in the first round of the 2012 MIAA championship, as the Blue Tigers handed PSU, then ranked No. 12 in the country, a 83-77 loss in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.

- On Saturday, Lincoln and Missouri Southern will meet for the 38th time. The Lions lead the all-time series, 34-3.

- Lincoln is playing for its first victory over Missouri Southern since 2011-12, when LU swept the season series with a 67-66 victory on the road and a 66-61 win in Jason Gym.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Le'Yanna McGinnis leads Lincoln in both scoring (11.8 ppg.) and rebounding (5.0 rpg.), and Niyah Jackson is averaging 7.0 points and a team-high 2.4 assists. Kelsey Mitchell is next on the scoring list with 8.0 points per game, followed by Imani Jones (7.2 ppg.) and Hya Haywood (7.1 ppg.), who shoots .813 at the line and leads LU with 16 steals.

HEAD COACH ANDREA MIZE:  Andrea Mize is in her second 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. Mize previously was an assistant at Martin Methodist, helping the program reach the NAIA national tournament three times.

LAST TIME OUT
Missouri Western 88, Lincoln 52
Missouri Western shot .470 from the field and held Lincoln to just four successful three-pointers to win, 88-52, in Jefferson City on Thursday (Dec. 9). Kelsey Mitchell led LU with 12 points and Niyah Jackson provided six points, five boards and three assists. Mercy Gonzalez finished with nine points and Le'Yanna McGinnis collected five rebounds.

Northwest Missouri 56, Lincoln 43
It was a five-point game at the half, but Northwest Missouri scored 17 points in the third quarter to take control of the game as Lincoln fell, 56-43, on Saturday (Dec. 11) in Jason Gym. Coming only one rebound short of a double-double was Le'Yanna McGinnis, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. AJ Bradley added 10 points, Imani Jones provided eight points and six boards, and Lincoln as a team blocked seven shots.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Tristan Gegg does most of the scoring for Pittsburg State, as her 19.4 average is nearly 10 points per game higher than Erin Davis, who is next at 9.8. Julia Johnson leads PSU with 5.5 rebounds per game, and Sydnee Crain averages a team-high 4.8 assists.

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. In four years, she has led PSU to 59 victories. 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 title.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Missouri Southern is averaging 78.2 points per game while allowing 64.4, with Lacy Stokes leading the team with 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. Layne Skiles is next in both categories (10.6 ppg., 4.8 rpg.), and Kaitlin Hunnicutt (9.6 ppg.) and Amaya Johns (9.5) also average close to 10 points per night. Stokes additionally leads Missouri Southern in both assists (48) and steals (23).

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 47 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.

D-D-D-DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers already have surpassed their win total from 2020-21, and they have done so using a defense that allows just 67.1 points per game. Lincoln is third in the league in steals (95), second in steals per game (10.6) and fourth in blocks (3.9). The Blue Tigers have also been able to create second-chance opportunities, as Lincoln's 14.3 offensive rebounds per contest is second in the MIAA.

TAKE IT AWAY:  The Blue Tigers have stolen the ball 95 times in 2021-22, and currently are 45th in NCAA Division II in total steals and 52nd in steals per game (10.6). Lincoln ranks among the top of the MIAA in both categories, as well as in turnovers forced, as LU has created 20.3 takeaways per game, the 67th-most in the country.

BAND OF THIEVES:  When it comes to taking the ball away from the other team, it's a team-wide effort for LU. Nine Blue Tigers have at least five steals on the season, led by 16 from Hya Haywood, who ranks seventh in the MIAA in steals. AJ Bradley is next with 15 takeaways, the 10th-most in the conference.

UP THE BLOCK:  Ashtin Ingram is in just her second year as a Blue Tiger, but she's already added her name to the record books. Ingram has blocked 50 shots over the past two seasons, placing her eighth all-time on LU's career block list. Ingram needs just five more blocks to surpass Andrea Sykes (54 career rejections) for seventh on the all-time list.

OFF THE GLASS:  Lincoln once again has excelled on the offensive glass, as the Blue Tigers have secured 129 boards to rate second in the MIAA and 61st in NCAA Division II in offensive rebounding. The Blue Tigers led the MIAA in offensive rebounding last year, and this year average 14.3 offensive boards per contest. Le'Yanna McGinnis leads Lincoln and is eighth in the MIAA with 2.4 offensive boards 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 14 Lincoln home games will be broadcast through a 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 rings in the new year with a home game vs. Emporia State on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 1:00 p.m. CST.