Complete Game Notes
Game # 15: Lincoln (1-13, 0-9 MIAA) at No. 5 Northwest Missouri (17-2, 10-1 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Maryville, Mo.
Live Stats: https://bearcatsports.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #16: Lincoln at Missouri Western (8-10, 4-6 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Site: St. Joseph, Mo.
Live Stats: https://gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #17: Lincoln at Nebraska Kearney (7-11, 3-9 MIAA)
Date: Monday, Jan. 31, 2022
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Kearney, Neb.
Live Stats: https://lopers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  Three games in five days await Lincoln's men's basketball team this week, as LU closes a five-game road trip. The Blue Tigers first travel to Maryville, Mo. to play Northwest Missouri on Thursday (Jan. 27) at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Bearcats enter the week ranked No. 5 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches DII poll. Lincoln then visits St. Joseph, Mo. to play Missouri Western on Saturday (Jan. 29) at 3:30 p.m. CST. Lincoln will conclude its travels on Monday (Jan. 31) in Kearney, Neb. as the Blue Tigers play Nebraska Kearney at 3:00 p.m. CST.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Northwest Missouri meet for the 86th time on Saturday, with NWMSU holding a 55-30 lead in the overall series. LU's last win over NWMSU was a 79-74 home victory in 2015.

- Lincoln and Missouri Western have met 50 times, with MWSU leading the series, 37-13

- LU and MWSU split the season series last year, with each team winning on its home court. The teams met one more time in the postseason, with the Griffons winning in overtime in the first round of the MIAA tournament.

- On Monday, LU and UNK will meet for the 15th time. Lincoln leads the series, 8-7, after sweeping the Lopers last season.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Ni'Sean Rigmaiden (8.8 ppg.), Derrick Woods (9.1 ppg.) and Chuck Wilson (8.6 ppg.) are Lincoln's main scorers, with Rigmaiden also averaging 2.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds. Woods is averaging 4.1 boards and Wilson averages 4.3, while Destan Williams leads LU with 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

HEAD COACH ED WILSON:  Last spring, Ed Wilson was elevated to the position of interim head coach after serving as Lincoln's assistant coach the previous seven seasons. In that span, Wilson helped lead Lincoln to six postseason berths, including a trip to the semifinals of the 2019 MIAA Championship. Wilson has coached 16 Blue Tigers to some form of All-MIAA honor.

LAST TIME OUT
Rogers State 72, Lincoln 51
Rogers State broke open a three-point game at the half by scoring 46 points over the final 20 minutes en route to a 72-51 victory over the Blue Tigers on Thursday (Jan. 20). Josh Wallace had 10 points and seven rebounds, Destan Williams had 10 points and Yaniel Vidal dished four assists.

Northeastern State 59, Lincoln 50
The Blue Tigers fell behind by 11 at halftime, but nearly rallied in the second half, holding NSU to just nine field goals and zero treys. Northeastern State shot .733 at the free throw line, however, to hold off LU for a 59-50 win on Saturday (Jan. 22). Josh Wallace led Lincoln with 11 rebounds and Derrick Woods and Destan Williams each scored 11 points. Chuck Wilson chipped in 10 points, and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden dished three assists.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Trevor Hudgins averages 25.3 points and 4.2 assists, while Wes Dreamer (13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Diego Bernard (12.4 points, 5.4 boards) are also having strong seasons for the Bearcats. NWMSU tallies 80.3 points per game while holding opponents to 63.0, and is out-rebounding opponents by a margin of 31.2-26.6.

NWMSU HEAD COACH BEN McCOLLUM: In 13 seasons, McCollum has led NWMSU to over 300 wins and eight MIAA regular season titles. In 2017, 2019 and 2021, McCollum directed the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II National Championship. McCollum played at NWMSU and led the Bearcats to the Elite Eight in 2001-02.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  JaQuaylon Mays is enjoying a stellar season, averaging 19.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals. Will Eames leads Missouri Western with 8.5 boards per contest and averages 12.5 points, while just below him on the scoring chart are Caleb Bennett (9.8 ppg.), Reese Glover (9.6) and JaRon Thames (9.1). MWSU averages 73.6 points, but allows 75.7 per contest.

MWSU HEAD COACH WILL MARTIN:  The second-year coach of the Griffons has MWSU off to a 23-21 start in 2021-22. In his first season as the head coach, Martin led MWSU to 13 wins, a trip to the semifinals of the MIAA tournament and a berth in the NCAA tourney. Martin spent two years working as an assistant coach with Missouri Western, and before that worked at San Francisco and Martin Methodist.

SCOUTING THE LOPERS:  Four UNK players average more than 10 points per contest, led by David Simental's 16.4 ppg. Darrian Nebeker is leading Nebraska Kearney in assists (4.7 apg.) and rebounding (6.2 rpg.) while tallying 13.7 ppg. Austin Luger (11.7 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) and Sean Evans (10.9 ppg.) are the other top scorers while Sean Murphy averages 5.7 boards per night.

UNK HEAD COACH KEVIN LOFTON:  In 2015-16, Lofton's first season as UNK's sole head coach, he guided the Lopers to the title game of the MIAA tournament and a bid to the NCAA tourney. Lofton spent the previous 10 years as UNK's co-head coach, and led the team to 171 wins, including 117 in league play. He has guided UNK to more than 80 wins as the sole head coach. 

HELPING HANDS:  The Blue Tigers are doing a good job moving the ball, as Lincoln currently ranks sixth in the MIAA in assists with 12.7 per contest. LU is led in this stat by Destan Williams, who is averaging 3.6 assists, the sixth-most in the league. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden is 10th in the league with 2.9 assists per contest.

LU IN THE MIAA:  The Blue Tigers rank highly in the league in several statistics, including rating fourth in the MIAA with 9.6 offensive rebounds per game. Lincoln also is sixth in three-pointers made per game (8.2), leads the league in fewest fouls (239), and LU is sixth in assists per game (12.7) as well as seventh in the MIAA in rebounds per contest (34.1).

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 12 LU 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:  The Blue Tigers return to Jason Gym next Thursday (Feb. 3) to host Missouri Southern at 7:30 p.m. CST.