Complete Game Notes
Game #1: Arkansas-Monticello (0-0) vs. Lincoln (0-0)
Date: Friday, Nov. 11, 2022
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Fayette, Iowa
Live Stats: https://uiupeacocks.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: https://nsicnetwork.com/uiupeacocks/

Game #2: Southern Arkansas (0-0) vs. Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Fayette, Iowa
Live Stats: https://uiupeacocks.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: https://nsicnetwork.com/uiupeacocks/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team tips off the 2022-23 season this weekend with a pair of games as part of the Central Region Challenge, hosted in Fayette, Iowa by Upper Iowa on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 11-12). The Blue Tigers' first game of the season is on Friday, as Lincoln takes on Arkansas-Monticello at 5:30 p.m. CST. On Saturday, LU faces Southern Arkansas at 5:30 p.m. CST.

FAST BREAKS
- Arkansas-Monticello and Lincoln will meet for the sixth time on Friday, with UAM leading the series, 3-2. The teams met in Jefferson City in last year's Central Region Challenge, with the Blue Tigers winning, 90-67.

- Lincoln and Southern Arkansas have met four times before, and the all-time series is tied, 2-2. LU won the first two meetings, but SAU has won the past two games, including beating LU in Jefferson City last year, 96-63.

- This will be the fifth time in the past six years that LU will play in the Central Region Challenge to open the season. The only exception was in 2020-21, as Lincoln played an MIAA-only schedule due to concerns related to COVID-19.

- LU is playing for its first season-opening victory since 2018-19, when Lincoln began the year 7-0.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  The Blue Tigers bring back eight players from last year's team, which went 5-23, including leading scorers Le'Yanna McGinnis (9.1 ppg.) and Kelsey Mitchell (8.4 ppg.). Niyah Jackson, an All-MIAA honorable mention in 2020-21, led Lincoln with 2.5 assists per contest a year ago, and Imani Jones is the team's top-returning rebounder (5.0 rpg.). Ayreona Carter averaged 6.4 points in 2021-22.

HEAD COACH ANDREA MIZE:  Andrea Mize is in her third 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 year 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.

SCOUTING THE BLOSSOMS:  Eight players are back from Arkansas-Monticello's 2021-22 team, which went 0-28. That includes Bailey Harris (9.5 ppg.) and Alexys Grice (7.3 ppg.), who were the Blossoms' second and third-leading scorers a year ago. Harris is also UAM's top returner in terms of both rebounds (5.4) and steals (22) while Aeryn Hawkins dished 35 assists last year and is UAM's top returner in that category.

UAM HEAD COACH DAVID MIDLICK:  In his first season as the leader at Arkansas-Monticello, Midlick previous was the head coach at Division I Austin Peay, where he had a six-year career record of 85-88. Midlick also previously coached at Delta State, leading the program to 45 victories in two seasons. As an assistant, Midlick has worked at Memphis, Tennessee State and as a high school coach in Mississippi.

SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS:  SAU went 13-15 in 2021-22 and brings back five of its top-seven scorers from that squad. Diamond Morris tallied 11 points per game and Kylie Warren averaged 9.4 while Kenzie Ezekiel provided 8.2. Warren is also Southern Arkansas' top-returning rebounder with 4.3 per contest a year ago.

SAU HEAD COACH ADAM COLLINS:  Now in his fifth season at Southern Arkansas, Collins led SAU to a 13-15 record in 2021-22 after starting the year 4-1. Over the past four season, he has led the Muleriders to 37 victories. During his 15-year coaching career, Collins has twice been named conference Coach of the Year and has twice taken teams to the NCAA tournament.

EXHIBITION SEASON:  Lincoln played its only exhibition game of 2022-23 on Nov. 3, and turned in an impressive showing against Division I foe Indiana State. The Blue Tigers trailed by just five entering the final 40 seconds of the game before falling, 75-66. Four LU players scored in double figures, led by Le'Yanna McGinnis with 16 points and seven rebounds. Niyah Jackson finished with 14 points, AJ Bradley provided 10 points and four assists, and Kelsey Mitchell chipped in 10 points.

DENIED:  The Blue Tigers blocked 98 shots last season, the fifth-most in the MIAA and the 77th-most in NCAA Division II. That averaged out to 3.5 rejections per contest, which ranked second in the league as well as 66th in the country. LU had 32 more blocked shots than its opponents, with Mercy Gonzalez (19), Ayreona Carter (14) and Imani Jones (10) ranking among LU's leaders.

NORTH BOUND:  Two of Lincoln's freshmen, Ashlyn Alloway and Saniya Simmons, bring a winning pedigree to the team after outstanding four-year careers at Olathe North. Both players were McDonald's All-American nominees who helped Olathe North go undfeated in 2021-22 and reach the semifinals of the Kansas state tourney.

STAFF ADDITIONS:  Hannah King joined LU as an assistant coach this spring, and Nana Sule and Makayla Watkins are the team's new graduate assistants. Lincoln is one of just two teams in the MIAA to have an all-female coaching staff, with the other being Cental Oklahoma.

HOME FOR DECEMBER:  Lincoln will open the season with a pair of neutral site games before heading to Florida for two more non-conference contests, and finishes November with its league-opener at Pittsburg State. December is a different story, however, as the Blue Tigers will play five of their six games in that month in Jason Gym. LU begins a three-game homestand on Dec. 1 against Newman, and closes the month with games vs. Stephens and Nebraska Kearney.

ON THE LINE:  AJ Bradley has excelled at finding ways to the free throw line, especially in 2020-21, when she made 124 free throws, the third-most by any player in DII that season. Bradley, who made 49 free throws last year, is currently seventh all-time in program history in that stat with 173 in two years at LU. She just needs 10 more makes at the line to move past Nyree Young, who made 182 free throws between 1994-98, into sixth on the program chart.

TAKE IT AWAY:  The Blue Tigers stole the ball 235 times in 2021-22, finishing the season ranked sixth in the MIAA in total steals and fifth in the conference in steals per game (8.4). Lincoln was also third in the league in turnovers forced, as LU created 16.4 takeaways per game. Eight Blue Tigers recorded at least 17 steals on the year.

OFF THE GLASS:  Lincoln once again excelled on the offensive glass in 2021-22, as the Blue Tigers secured 272 boards to rate fourth in the MIAA with 10.8 offensive boards per game. In 2020-21, Lincoln led the MIAA in offensive rebounding 12.6 per contest. Last year, Imani Jones led the Blue Tigers with 60 offensive rebounds, the eighth-most by an MIAA player in 2021-22.

GET YOUR TICKETS:  Lincoln is partnering with Hometown Ticketing once again to sell tickets to all of LU's basketball games online in 2022-23. 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 13 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:  LU heads to Florida to play Lynn on Monday, Nov. 21, at 2:00 p.m. CST and Florida Southern on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 5:30 p.m. CST.