Complete Game Notes
Game #16: Lincoln (8-7, 8-7 MIAA) at No. 17 Washburn (12-3, 12-3 MIAA)
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021
Time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Site: Topeka, Kan.
Live Stats: https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Audio: https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KJLU

Game #17: Lincoln at Newman (2-13, 2-13 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021
Time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Site: Wichita, Kan.
Live Stats: https://newmanjets.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/
Live Audio: https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KJLU

Game #18: Emporia State (8-8, 8-8 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/

THE TIP OFF:  Another busy week is ahead for the Blue Tigers, as the Lincoln men's basketball team plays three games over the span of the next five days. Lincoln opens the week on Tuesday (Feb. 9) with a visit to Topeka, Kan. to play Washburn at 6:00 p.m. CST. Up next is a trip to Wichita, Kan. on Thursday (Feb. 11) as the Blue Tigers face Newman at 6:00 p.m. CST. Lincoln then closes the week at home on Saturday (Feb. 13) by hosting a rematch with Emporia State at 3:00 p.m. CST. Lincoln played three games last week as well, dropping all three to fall to 8-7 on the season. Washburn is currently No. 17 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll while Newman is 2-13 on the year. Emporia State is 8-8, and lost to Lincoln in Emporia, Kan. on Dec. 17.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Washburn will square off for the 36th time on Saturday, with WU leading the series, 31-4. Washburn has won three-straight against the Blue Tigers.

- The Blue Tigers will play Newman for the ninth time on Thursday, but just the second as conference rivals. LU won at Newman, 74-72, last season, but NU leads the all-time series, 7-1.

- On Saturday, Lincoln and Emporia State will meet for the 31st time, with the Hornets leading the series, 18-12. Lincoln has won seven of its last eight games against the Hornets.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Sai Witt is averaging close to a double-double (16.5 ppg., 8.7 rpg.) and Cameron Potts is averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds as Lincoln is 8-7 on the season. Quinton Drayton has scored at least 25 points in three games and averages 16.8 ppg. on the year while Yaniel Vidal averages 8.8 ppg. Mid-season addition Derrick Woods averages 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.

HEAD COACH JOHN MOSELEY:  Now in his seventh season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers, Moseley has led Lincoln to five-straight postseason appearances, and guided the team to four-consecutive winning seasons between 2015-16 and 2018-19. In 2015-16, he became the first coach to take Lincoln to the postseason since 1986-87 and led LU to its first winning campaign since the 2001-02 season.

LAST TIME OUT
Central Oklahoma 87, Lincoln 76
Central Oklahoma opened the game on a 21-4 and held off a second-half comeback by the Blue Tigers for a win on Feb. 2. Cameron Potts led LU with 14 points and eight assists, Derrick Woods scored 13 and Sai Witt added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Missouri Southern 72, Lincoln 66
A cold shooting night hurt the Blue Tigers as LU shot .342 overall and .222 in a loss to the Lions on Thursday (Feb. 4). Quinton Drayton doubled up, leading Lincoln with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Sai Witt added 15 points and seven boards. Derrick Woods chipped in 14 points.

Pittsburg State 85, Lincoln 77 (OT)
Sai Witt forced overtime with a late tip-in, but Pittsburg State held off Lincoln for the victory on Saturday (Feb. 6). Cameron Potts had a career day with 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Quinton Drayton scored 20 points. Sai Witt had 10 points and seven boards. Chuck Wilson came off the bench to score seven points.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Washburn is out-scoring opponents by an average of 82.9-71.8 points per game, with Tyler Geiman leading the team with 21.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 6.1 assists per night. Jalen Lewis averages 11.3 points, followed by Drew Maschoff (10.0 ppg.) and Jonny Clausing (10.6 ppg.).

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his fourth season as the head coach of the Ichabods, Ballard has led to Washburn to 74 victories after a pair of 20-win seasons to begin his tenure. He spent the previous four seasons at the Division I level, with stints at Wake Forest and Tulsa, and he was the head coach at Baker from 2010-12.

SCOUTING THE JETS:  Joel Boyce (13.7 ppg.) and Branden Bunn (12.3 ppg.) lead Newman on the offensive side of the ball, with Boyce leading the Jets with 7.1 rebounds. Newman turns the ball over at an average of 16.3 times per game, and NU averages 66.2 points per contest.

NU HEAD COACH RJ ALLEN:  The fourth-year coach of the Jets is 45-55 overall, and led NU to a 20-9 season and third place in the Heartland Conference standings in 2018-19. That followed a 2017-18 campaign in which Newman won 10 HC games, its highest total in league games since the 2012-13 season.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:  Jumah'Ri Turner leads Emporia State with 18.0 points per game and 25 total steals, while Austin Downing is next on the scoring chart with 12.8 points per contest and a team-best 3.4 assist average. Dallas Bailey, who averages 6.6 points, is the team-leader in rebounds with 5.1 per contest.

ESU HEAD COACH CRAIG DOTY:  A three-time national champion head coach, Doty is now in his third season leading the Hornets. Doty led Graceland to the 2018 NAIA Division I national title, and won championships at Rock Valley in 2014 and 2016.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  Sai Witt led Lincoln with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win over No. 21 Missouri Southern, and was rewarded for his efforts by being named the MIAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week. Witt has since been named the Black College Sports Network Small School Player of the Week twice (Dec. 22 & Feb. 2). BCSN also recognized Quinton Drayton with the same accolade after averaging 26.5 points in games vs. Rogers State and Northeastern State.

TOP-25 WINS:  This season, Lincoln has beat two teams which were ranked in the NABC NCAA Division II poll: No. 21 Missouri Southern (Nov. 28) and No. 23 Missouri Western (Jan. 30). Under coach John Moseley, LU has four Top-25 wins, all at home, and this is the first time in at least 40 years that LU has multiple top-25 wins in a season.

TRIPLE THREAT:  Cameron Potts became just the third NCAA Division II player, and the first from the MIAA, to record a triple-double when he tallied 15 points, 12 boards and 10 assists in LU's win over Northeastern State. Potts, who averages 11.3 points, ranks 20th nationally in assists (5.3) and 29th in steals (2.3) per game.

BAND OF THIEVES:  Lincoln is fourth in Division II with 131 steals on the year. Cameron Potts leads the MIAA and is fourth nationally with 34 steals, while Yaniel Vidal is 12th in DII with 28 takeaways.

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.

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 11 Lincoln 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:  Lincoln heads to Hays, Kan. to take on Fort Hays State next Thursday (Feb. 18) at 7:30 p.m. CST.