Complete Game Notes
Game #21: Newman (4-16, 4-16 MIAA) at Lincoln (1-19, 1-19 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

Game #22: Lincoln at No. 15 Central Missouri (17-3, 17-3 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Warrensburg, Mo.
Live Stats: https://ucmathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Audio: https://www.facebook.com/BlueTigerAthletics

THE TIP OFF:  The end of the 2020-21 season has come for the Lincoln women's basketball team, which plays both home and away games this week. The Blue Tigers take the court in Jason Gym for the final time this season on Thursday (Feb. 25) when Lincoln welcomes Newman for a 5:30 p.m. CST contest. The Blue Tigers then travel to Warrensburg, Mo. on Saturday (Feb. 27) to play Central Missouri, ranked No. 15 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll, in its season-finale. Both games are rematches from earlier in the year.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Newman will play one another for the 10th time on Thursday, with the Jets leading the series, 6-3. NU beat LU in Wichita, Kan., 81-59, on Jan. 14.

- This will be the first time Lincoln and Newman will play in Jefferson City as MIAA rivals. This is also the first trip to Jason Gym for the Jets since 2010, when Lincoln beat Newman, 67-51.

- The Blue Tigers and the Jennies will meet for the 63rd time on Saturday. Central Missouri, which beat Lincoln in Jason Gym, 92-69, back on Dec. 12, leads the all-time series, 59-3.

- Lincoln's last two wins vs. Central Missouri both came in Warrensburg, as LU won, 82-76, in 2015-16, and 57-53 in 2011-12.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln is led offensively by Niyah Jackson with 14.7 points and 3.3 assists per game while Vivian Chigbu (6.8 ppg.) is the top rebounder with 7.2 per night. AJ Bradley averages 12.5 points and Aliyah Bello averages 7.7 points and 4.0 boards. Ashtin Ingram's 41 blocks are a team-high, and Simone Jordan is tallying 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds.

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
Fort Hays State 74, Lincoln 43
Fort Hays State scored 43 points in the first half and held off the Blue Tigers for a win on Thursday (Feb. 18). Simone Jordan led LU with 11 points and Niyah Jackson scored 10 while Vivian Chigbu had 10 rebounds to go with seven points.

Nebraska Kearney 79, Lincoln 57
Lincoln out-scored Nebraska Kearney in both the second and third quarters, but a big first period helped the Lopers to win on Saturday (Feb. 20). Niyah Jackson dropped in 19 points to lead LU while AJ Bradley, Vivian Chigbu (who had seven rebounds) and Ashtin Ingram each scored eight points.

SCOUTING THE JETS:  Two Newman players average more than six points per game: Brooke Haney (10.5 ppg.) and Faith Mason-Vestal (10.0 ppg.). Madison Birnbaum leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game, followed by Mason-Vestal (4.2) and Abbey George (3.6), while Sydney Nilles leads the Jets with 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Birnbaum and Mason-Vestal each have 18 blocks on the year.

NU HEAD COACH DARIN SPENCE:  Now in his ninth year at Newman, Spence has amassed over 100 victories and led the program to three winning seasons in the past four years. Spence, who has compiled over 500 victories in a career that has spanned 30 years, won 109 games as the head coach at Division I New Mexico State.

SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Three UCM players average at least 10 points, led by Nija Collier's 14.8 average. Collier is also averaging a team-best 8.6 rebounds while Graycen Holden is averaging 12.4 points and 5.9 boards. Olivia Nelson is next on the scoring chart with 11.6 ppg. and leads the team with 3.2 assists per night.

UCM HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER:  With more wins than any other coach in the history of the UCM women's basketball program, Slifer has 350 victories with the Jennies and over 700 wins in his career. Slifer, who was selected as the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2013, has led the Jennies to ten 20-win seasons and the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

BASKETS FOR BRADLEY:  Over the last few games, AJ Bradley has emerged as a scoring threat, as she has posted four 20-point games and 11 total double digit performances. Bradley, who averages 12.5 points per contest, also tallies 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.

TO THE LINE:  One key factor to AJ Bradley's success has been her ability to get to the free throw line, where she is shooting .719 on the season. Bradley has attempted 167 free throws in 2020-21, the most of any player in NCAA DII. She has made 120 of those attemptes, the second-most of any DII player in the country.

RANK AND ORDER:  LU ends its season with five out of six games vs. ranked opponents. In its last four games, LU played #25 ESU (twice), #8 FHSU and #12 UNK, and takes on #15 UCM on Saturday.

THE LAST TIME IN THE LAST GAME:  A Thursday win would give Lincoln a victory in its final home of the year for the first time since a 93-88 win over Lindenwood in the last game in Jason Gym of the 2016-17 season. The last time LU ended the regular season with a win was in 2009-10 (beat Okla.-Panhandle at home, 71-51).

TABULATING TAKEAWAYS:  Lincoln, which has 163 steals on the year, ranks 23rd nationally and fourth in the MIAA in total steals. Lincoln's 8.2 steals per game are the fifth-most in the MIAA, while its 16.5 turnovers forced per contest rates second in the conference. Individually, AJ Bradley ranks fifth in the conference with 39 steals, and is followed by Niyah Jackson (33 steals), Haylie Holloway (25) and Aliyah Bello (25).

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK:  Newcomer Ashtin Ingram has 41 blocks, the second-most in the MIAA and the eighth-most in NCAA Division II. Ingram, who is 21st in the MIAA with 22 made three-pointers, is ranked 22nd nationally with 2.1 rejections per game.

UNDE-NIYAH-BLE:  Niyah Jackson eclipsed the 20-point thrice this season, and her 14.7 ppg. average ranks 12th in the MIAA. Her 3.2 assists per game rank seventh in the league, and her .419 field goal percentage is the eighth-best in the conference. She has scored at least 10 points in all but one game this season.

"OFF" THE GLASS:  Nobody in the MIAA has as much of a knack for attacking the offensive glass as Vivian Chigbu, who leads the league with 3.3 offensive boards per game. Chigbu has 137 total rebounds, seventh-most in the league.

SWEET CHARITY:  Lincoln hasn't had any issue getting to the charity stripe, as it leads the MIAA in free throws attempted (437, most in DII) and made (301, second-most in DII).

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.

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.