Complete Game Notes
Game #17: Lincoln (5-11, 1-9 MIAA) at Rogers State (6-11, 2-9 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Claremore, Okla.
Live Stats: https://rsuhillcats.com/sidearmstats/wbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #18: Lincoln at Northeastern State (3-11, 1-7 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Tahlequah, Okla.
Live Stats: https://goriverhawksgo.com/sidearmstats/wbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team heads to the Sooner State this week for a pair of MIAA games in Oklahoma. Up first is a visit to Claremore, Okla. to play Rogers State on Thursday (Jan. 20) at 5:30 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers then travel to Tahlequah, Okla. to challenge Northeastern State at 1:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln split a pair of home games last week, beating Newman, 51-50, and falling to Central Oklahoma, 72-57. Rogers State is 6-11 overall and 2-9 in conference play, but has won each of its past two games, beating Northeastern State on Saturday (Jan. 15) and Newman on Tuesday (Jan. 18), with both wins coming on the road. NSU is 3-11 on the year and 1-7 in the MIAA, and has dropped each of its past two contests.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Rogers State will meet for just the third time on Thursday night. The Hillcats have won each of the first two meetings.

- The Blue Tigers last played Rogers State on Jan. 21, 2021, in Jason Gym. RSU eked out an 81-79 win.

- LU and NSU meet for the 11th time on Saturday, with Northeastern State leading the series, 6-4.

- Northeastern State won the last meeting in double overtime, 89-79, last season for its fourth-straight victory in the series.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Le'Yanna McGinnis leads Lincoln in scoring (9.8 ppg.) and Niyah Jackson is next with 8.2 ppg. Jackson leads LU with 2.6 assists per contest. Imani Jones is LU's top rebounder with 5.3 per game, and Ayreona Carter and Kelsey Mitchell each average 7.4 points and Hya Haywood averages 7.2 points per game. Ashtin Ingram has blocked 13 shots on the year while AJ Bradley has 21 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
Lincoln 51, Newman 50
Niyah Jackson hit the game-winning layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give Lincoln a 51-50 win over Newman last Thursday (Jan. 13). Jackson led Lincoln with 14 points, four assists and six boards while Aliyah Bello added nine points and Kylie Bernskoetter scored seven. Ayreona Carter had two blocks, six points and six rebounds.

Central Oklahoma 72, Lincoln 57
Lincoln had the lead late in the third quarter, but Central Oklahoma out-scored LU, 25-12, in the final period to pull away for the 72-57 win last Saturday (Jan. 15) in Jefferson City. Niyah Jackson and Aliyah Bello each scored 14 points, Kelsey Mitchell added 13 and Imani Jones pulled down 10 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE HILLCATS:  Bailey Kliewer leads three Hillcats in double figures with 14.2 points and 6.2 rebounds, while Jordan Lewis averages 11.0 points and Julie Luna is next with 10.2. RSU is averaging 68.8 points per contest as a team while allowing 70.6 points, and averages 8.1 steals and 31.5 rebounds per contest.

RSU HEAD COACH KYLE BENT:  In his first year leading the Hillcats, Bent coached the team to a 14-14 overall record and the No. 4 seed in the Heartland Conference tournament in 2018-19. Bent spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Martin Methodist, recording 95 wins and four berths in the NAIA tournament. As the head coach at Rogers State, Bent has a four-year record of 30-65.

SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS:  Two players do most of the scoring for Northeastern State: Maleeah Langstaff, who is averaging 15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks, and Zaria Collins, who averages 15.0 points and 6.8 boards. Maegan Lee is next on the scoring chart with 9.3 points per night, and Kailyn Lay leads NSU with 4.8 assists per game.

NSU HEAD COACH FALA SUIAUNOA:  An NSU alumna, Suiaunoa took over as the head coach of the RiverHawks in 2017 after serving as the head coach at Armstrong State, where she won 60 games. Suiaunoa began her coaching career as an assistant at Northeastern State, and spent two seasons as the head coach of Central Georgia. As the leader of the RiverHawks, she has won 30 games in five seasons.

DEFENDERS:  Lincoln's strength has been its defense this year, as LU has blocked 55 shots, tallied 148 steals and forced 298 turnovers in 2021-22. The Blue Tigers are ranked 49th in the country and fifth in the MIAA in total blocks as well as 51st in NCAA Division II in total steals.

LINE THEM UP:  Due to various circumstances, including injuries and illness, Lincoln is still in search of its starting five for 2021-22. The Blue Tigers have used 13 different starting five combos this year, with only two groups starting more than one game together. Mitchell has started the most games with 12 stints in the opening lineup. Imani Jones and Kylie Bernskoetter are next with nine starts apiece.

TAKE IT AWAY:  The Blue Tigers have stolen the ball 148 times in 2021-22, and currently are 51st in Division II in total steals and third in the MIAA in both steals and steals per game. Lincoln is also third in turnovers forced, as LU has created 17.7 takeaways per game. 12 different Blue Tigers have at least five steals on the year.

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 57 shots over the past two seasons, placing her seventh all-time on LU's career block list. Ingram needs just eight more blocks to surpass Claire Jenkins (64 career rejections) for sixth on the all-time list.

OFF THE GLASS:  Lincoln once again has excelled on the offensive glass, as the Blue Tigers have secured 201 boards to rate third in the MIAA with an average of 12.6 offensive boards per game. The Blue Tigers led the MIAA in offensive rebounding last year with 12.6 offensive boards per contest. Imani Jones has collected 37 offensive rebounds on the year, the fifth-most by any MIAA player, while Le'Yanna McGinnis is second for LU with 22.

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 remains on the road next Thursday (Jan. 27), traveling to Maryville, Mo. to play Northwest Missouri at 5:30 p.m. CST.