Complete Game Notes
Exhibition #2: Lincoln (5-2) at Southern Illinois (6-4)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Carbondale, Ill.
Live Stats: https://siusalukis.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/
Television: ESPN+ (Streaming Service)
Tickets: https://siutickets.evenue.net/
 
Game #8: Lincoln vs. Concordia-St. Paul (3-7)
Date: Monday, Dec. 19, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Site: Seward, Neb.
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cun/
 
THE TIP OFF:  Fresh off a last-second win over MIAA rival Central Missouri, the Lincoln men's basketball team has two more games left on its docket before its holiday break. The first is on Tuesday (Dec. 13), as the Blue Tigers play their second exhibition game of the year against DI opponent Southern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CST for that game, which will be broadcast on ESPN+, the ESPN streaming service. Lincoln already has one win over a Division I team, as the Blue Tigers won their first exhibition game, 59-56, against Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 7. Lincoln also plays on Dec. 19 in Seward, Neb., as LU takes on Concordia-St. Paul in its only neutral site contest of the regular season.
 
FAST BREAKS
- Southern Illinois and Lincoln have never played each other before, and this will be the first official meeting for the Salukis.
 
- This is the second of two exhibition games for Lincoln in 2022-23, with the other taking place on Nov. 7, when LU defeated UMKC, 59-56.
 
- The victory over Missouri-Kansas City was the first for Lincoln against a team affiliated with NCAA Division I at the time of the meeting since 1978-79, when LU beat Arkansas-Little Rock, then a DI independent, 84-60, in Jefferson City. A win on Tuesday would give Lincoln two wins over DI foes in the same season for the first time in program history.
 
- Monday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Blue Tigers and the Golden Bears.
 
- Lincoln will play Concordia-St. Paul on a neutral court on the campus of Concordia University in Nebraska for LU's sole neutral site game of 2022-23.
 
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln has two prolific scorers in Artese Stapleton (20.3 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 3.9 apg.) and Kevin Kone (15.1 ppg.), with Kone additionally leading LU in rebounds with a 14.4 average. LU is out-rebounding teams by a 43.4 to 34.7 average, with Franck Yetna, who scores 7.0 points per night, averaging 5.7 boards. Yetna and Sam Rautins each have nine steals while Kone leads Lincoln with 10 blocks.
 
HEAD COACH JIMMY DREW:  In his first year as the head coach at Lincoln, Drew came to LU following a six-year run on the staff at Division I Central Florida. Drew helped lead UCF to a pair of 20-win seasons and a berth in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and he coached three players who went on to play in the NBA.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Lincoln 59, Newman 58
The Blue Tigers scored 20 points off turnovers and held Newman to .288 shooting overall as LU won its home MIAA opener, 59-58, on Dec. 1. Kevin Kone grabbed 22 rebounds and scored 14 points while blocking five shots, Franck Yetna had eight points and seven boards, and Artese Stapleton led LU with 16 points.
 
Central Oklahoma 78, Lincoln 63
Lincoln was forced into 17 turnovers as the Blue Tigers lost for the first time at home, 78-63, to Central Oklahoma on Dec. 3. UCO entered the game ranked No. 7 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll. Lincoln was led by Artese Stapleton with 29 points and Kevin Kone with eight points and 10 boards while DJ Richardson added 10 points.
 
Lincoln 74, Central Missouri 72
Artese Stapleton dished an assist on the three by Arash Yaqubi that tied the game, had a rebound on the ensuing defensive possession, and made the game-winning basket as time expired for a 74-72 win by LU over Central Missouri on Dec. 11. Stapleton finished the game with 24 points.
 
SCOUTING THE SALUKIS:  Marcus Domask is leading Southern Illinois in scoring (16.9 ppg.), rebounding (6.0 rpg.), assists (3.8 apg.) and blocks (0.6 bpg.), while Lance Jones is SIU's other leading scorer with 12.2 points per game. Jones leads the Salukis with 2.2 steals per night and is averaging 2.7 assists. Scottie Ebube (9.0 ppg.) and Xavier Johnson (7.4 ppg.) are next on the scoring chart, with Ebube also tallying 6.0 rebounds per game.
 
SIU HEAD COACH BRYAN MULLINS:  One of the best players in Saluki history, Mullins is in his fourth season coaching his alma mater. Mullins, who was an assistant coach on Loyola's Final Four run in 2018, is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the year and is a member of the SIU Hall of Fame.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS:  Leading the offensive attack for Concordia-St. Paul is Antwan Kimmons, who is averaging 21.7 points per game as well as 3.8 assists. Marcus Skeete, who leads the Golden Bears in rebounding (6.5), is also a prolific scorer with 14.3 points per contest. CSP is 3-7 as of the publishing of these notes, but will play twice before taking on Lincoln on Dec. 19.
 
CSP HEAD COACH MATT FLETCHER:  After a successful four-year run as the coach at Bethany Lutheran, in which he won the UMAC tourney and reached the NCAA tournament twice while winning 76 games, Fletcher was named the head coach at Concordia-St. Paul in 2020. He has won seven games while leading the Golden Bears as of Dec. 12.
 
DEFEATING DIVISION I:  Lincoln's exhibition win over Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 7 was the first victory over a Division I opponent for the Blue Tigers since 1978-79, when LU beat Arkansas-Little Rock in Jefferson City, 84-60. That was one of two regular season wins over a DI for LU, which also beat UALR, then a DI Independent, in 1977-78.
 
DEFENDING DIVISION II:  The Blue Tigers boast one of the top defenses in NCAA Division II, ranking 11th out of 290 teams with just 60.0 points allowed per game. That has helped LU post a scoring margin of +16.9 that ranks 14th in the country. A big part of LU's success has been on the glass, as Lincoln is seventh nationally in rebounds per game (43.3) and 16th in rebound margin (+8.7). Meanwhile, LU's .382 field goal defense is 17th in Division II.
 
KING OF THE GLASS:  Kevin Kone is currently leading the nation in rebounding, as his 14.4 average is the highest in NCAA Division II. Kone, who had a 22-board night in the win over Newman, leads DII in offensive rebounding (5.3) and is third nationally in defensive rebounding (9.1). His 101 total rebounds this year are the fourth-most in Division II.
 
THE ART OF SCORING:  Artese Stapleton enters the week as the MIAA's leading scorer with 20.3 points per game, and he has scored at least 13 points in every game in 2022-23. Stapleton, who has crossed the 20-point threshhold in each of the last two games, had a 27-point, 10-assist day in the win over Calvary. Stapleton's scoring average is also the 36th-best in NCAA Division II this season.
 
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 14 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:  After the holiday break, Lincoln will close 2022 by hosting Nebraska Kearney on Dec. 31 at 3:00 p.m. CST.