JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A rematch with the No. 8 team in the country awaits the Lincoln women's basketball team on Thursday night (Feb. 18), as the Blue Tigers visit Hays, Kan. to play Fort Hays State at 5:30 p.m. CST.

FHSU previously beat the Blue Tigers in Jefferson City, 85-70, on Jan. 9, and are ranked No. 8 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Division II poll. It will be the third-straight game against a ranked opponent for LU, which played a home-and-home with Emporia State, then ranked No. 25 in the country, last week.

The Blue Tigers are sixth in the MIAA in scoring, averaging 65.9 points per contest, and are ranked 21st in NCAA Division II in steals with 151 on the season. AJ Bradley has been proficient in both categories, averaging 13.1 points, the 16th-most in the league, and notching 37 steals, the 24th-most in the nation. Bradley currently leads all DII players in both free throws attempted (148) and made (110), and her .743 free throw percentage rates as the 13th-best in the MIAA.

Niyah Jackson is Lincoln's top scorer with 14.7 points per contest, the 11th-most by an MIAA player this season, and is sixth in the league with 33 steals. Vivian Chigbu is LU's top rebounder, ranking seventh in the conference and total rebounding (7.1) and is the MIAA's leader in offensive rebounding with 3.2 per game, a mark that also ranks 49th in NCAA Division II. Also high in the national rankings is Ashtin Ingram, who is 10th in the country in blocked shots (37) and 24th nationally in rejections per game (2.1).

Aliyah Bello is Lincoln's other main starter, and she is averaging 8.0 ppg. on .429 shooting. Simone Jordan (6.7 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) and Haylie Holloway (4.9 ppg., 2.6 rpg.) are LU's top reserves.