Complete Game Notes
Game #8: Missouri Western (6-0, 2-0 MIAA) at Lincoln (4-3, 0-1 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #9: Northwest Missouri (6-1, 2-0 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  The final two home games of 2021 are this week for the Lincoln women's basketball team, who will play a pair of MIAA opponents in Jason Gym. Up first for LU is Missouri Western on Thursday (Dec. 9) at 5:30 p.m. CST. The Griffons are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the league after sweeping Northeastern State and Rogers State last week. The Blue Tigers then take on Northwest Missouri on Saturday (Dec. 11) at 1:00 p.m. CST. Also undefeated in conference play, NWMSU enters the week with a 6-1 overall record. LU also has a winning record at 4-3, but the Blue Tigers are 0-1 in conference play after dropping their league opener, 71-46, at Central Missouri last Sunday (Dec. 5).

FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday, Lincoln and Missouri Western will meet for the 47th time. The Griffons lead the all-time series, 41-5.

- 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.

- Lincoln and Northwest Missouri will meet for the 51st time, with NWMSU leading the series, 39-11.

- The last time the Blue Tigers played the Bearcats, LU was victorious with a 72-46 win over Northwest Missouri in Jason Gym on Jan. 28, 2021.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln has a +20 turnover margin and has recorded 85 steals on the season, led by Hya Haywood with 15 and AJ Bradley with 12. Le'Yanna McGinnis leads LU with 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest and Haywood averages 8.9 points while tying Niyah Jackson with a team-high 2.6 assists per game. Kelsey Mitchell is next with 8.6 ppg.

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:  Lincoln held Central Missouri to just four successful three-pointers, but UCM shot .537 overall to hand the Blue Tigers a 71-46 loss in the MIAA opener for both team on Sunday (Dec. 5). Le'Yanna McGinnis led the Blue Tigers in both points (15) and rebounds (six), and Niyah Jackson scored six points while Ayreona Carter had four points, a block, two rebounds and a pair of assists.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Despite playing just 22 minutes per game, Corbyn Cunningham is averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 boards, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals, and is shooting .476 from the field. Also averaging double digit points are Connie Clarke (12.8 ppg.), Brionna Budgetts (12.7 ppg.), Jaelyn Haggard (10.8 ppg.) and Jordan Cunningham (10.3 ppg.). Clarke is leading the Griffons in rebounds (11.2) and assists (3.0).

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 third season at MWSU, spent nine years as a head coach at the Division I level, most recently at Texas Tech, where she made four-straight trips to the Big 12 tourney.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Molly Hartnett leads Northwest Missouri in both scoring (11.1 ppg.) and assists (3.1 apg.). Mallory McConkey is averaging 10.7 points and 2.1 assists, and leads NWMSU in rebounding (6.1 rpg.). Also scoring an average of over 10 points per night is Peyton Kelderman (10.4 ppg.) while Jayna Green pulls down an average of 5.9 boards per contest. Paityn Rau, meanwhile, averages 8.6 points.

NWMSU HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER:  A four-year letterwinner on the Northwest Missouri men's basketball team from 2002-06, Meyer is in his fourth season leading the Bearcat women and enters the week with a career record of 33-54. 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.

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 65.7 per game. Lincoln is leading the league in steals (85) and steals per game (12.1), and sixth in blocks (3.3). The Blue Tigers have also done a good job securing second-chance opportunities, as Lincoln's 15.3 offensive rebounds per contest is leading the MIAA.

TAKE IT AWAY:  The Blue Tigers have stolen the ball 85 times in 2021-22, and currently are 44th in NCAA Division II in total steals and 29th in steals per game (12.1). Lincoln leads the MIAA in both of those categories, as well as in turnovers forced, as LU has created 22.7 takeaways per game, the 35th-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 Lincoln. Nine Blue Tigers have at least five steals on the season, led by 15 from Hya Haywood, who ranks second in the MIAA in steals. AJ Bradley is next with 12 takeaways, the 12th-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 49 shots over the past two seasons, placing her eighth all-time on LU's career block list. Ingram needs just six 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 107 boards to lead the MIAA and rank 39th in NCAA Division II in offensive rebounding. The Blue Tigers led the MIAA in offensive rebounding last year, and this year average 15.3 offensive boards per contest. Individually, Imani Jones leads the team with 15 offensive boards while Le'Yanna McGinnis has 14 offensive rebounds.

NICE NOVEMBER:  The first month of the season has been a successful one for the Blue Tigers, who ended the month of November with a 4-2 record. The last time LU had a winning record at the end of November was in the 2018-19 campaign, as Lincoln finished the month 5-0 en route to a 10-18 season.

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:  The Blue Tigers travel to Pittsburg, Kan. next Wednesday (Dec. 15) to play Pittsburg State at 5:30 p.m. CST.