Complete Game Notes
Game #23: No. 22 Fort Hays State (19-4, 14-4 MIAA) at Lincoln (2-20, 1-16 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #24: Nebraska Kearney (10-14, 6-12 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #25: Newman (4-18, 1-16 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Monday, Feb. 21, 2022
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  Three home games in five days await the Lincoln men's basketball team this week as LU marches towards the end of the regular season. Lincoln opens the week against a nationally-ranked opponent, as the Blue Tigers host Fort Hays State, ranked No. 22 in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, on Thursday (Feb. 17) at 7:30 p.m. CST. On Saturday (Feb. 19), Lincoln hosts Nebraska Kearney at 3:00 p.m. CST in LU's annual Think Pink Game. The Blue Tigers wrap up the week on Monday (Feb. 21) with a 5:30 p.m. CST game against Newman.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln has defeated Fort Hays State in each of the past four meetings in Jason Gym, but FHSU leads the series, 16-10, after beating the Blue Tigers in Hays, Kan. this past Monday, 66-52.

- On Saturday, LU and UNK will meet for the 16th time. Lincoln sweept the Lopers last season, but the all-time series is tied at 8-8 due to Nebraska Kearney beating the Blue Tigers, 87-69, in Kearney, Neb. earlier this season.

- The Blue Tigers will play Newman for the 10th time on Monday, but just the fourth as conference rivals. NU leads the all-time series, 7-3.

- Lincoln has won each of its past three games against Newman.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Ni'Sean Rigmaiden (8.0 ppg.), Derrick Woods (8.5 ppg.) and Chuck Wilson (8.3 ppg.) are Lincoln's main scorers, with Rigmaiden also averaging 3.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds. Woods is averaging 3.8 boards and Wilson averages 4.3, while Destan Williams leads LU with 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game while scoring 8.6 ppg.

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
Washburn 77, Lincoln 61
Washburn shot .508 overall and .444 from three-point range en route to a 77-61 win over the Blue Tigers on Thursday evening (Feb. 10). Destan Williams led LU with 14 points and four assists while John Gaines provided 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Josh Wallace added nine points and a team-high five rebounds.

Emporia State 90, Lincoln 71
Emporia State made 28 free throws and shot .528 from the field to hand the Blue Tigers a 90-71 loss on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 12). Chuck Wilson led a balanced LU scoring attack with 13 points, and Mekhi Kimble and Yaniel Vidal each scored nine while five other Lincoln players scored six points apiece.

Fort Hays State 66, Lincoln 52
Josh Wallace scored 14 points, Chuck Wilson had 12 and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden added 10, but the Blue Tigers fell on the road to Fort Hays State, 66-52, on Monday night (Feb. 14). The Blue Tigers shot .520 from the field in the second half, but just .400 for the ballgame, while FHSU shot .500 overall and .412 from long distance.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  Jared Vitzum leads a Fort Hays State team that averages 69.5 points per night with 15.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest. Kaleb Hammeke averages 14.6 points and a team-high 3.4 assists per contest, while Nyjee Wright is averaging 11.2 points, 1.9 assists and 3.0 rebounds.

FHSU HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON: The all-time wins leader at Fort Hays State, Johnson has more than 350 victories with the Tigers and has led FHSU to seven appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers have won at least 20 games in nine seasons under Johnson, with three players earning All-American honors.

SCOUTING THE LOPERS:  Four UNK players are averaging more than 10 points per game, led by David Simental, who tallied 17.3 points, 3.0 boards and 3.1 assists per contest. Leading the team in assists is Darrian Nebeker with 4.9, and he also leads the team in rebounding (6.3) while scoring 13.3 points per contest. Austin Luger is next on the team in both scoring (10.9 ppg.) and rebounding (5.7 rpg.), and Sean Evans averages 10.1 points 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 won more than 80 games as the sole head coach.

SCOUTING THE JETS:  Newman has a dominant scorer in Israel Barnes, who leads the team with 19.1 points and 1.3 steals per game. Barnes also averages 4.9 rebounds, the second-most on the team behind DeAndre Johnson (5.9 rpg.). Stevie Strong is next on the scoring chart with 13.2 ppg., followed by Ian Lee with 10.1 ppg. AJ Morris is next on the team with 6.3 points, as Newman is averaging 65.3 points per contest.

NU HEAD COACH RJ ALLEN:  The fifth-year coach of the Jets has more than 50 career victories, and led NU to a 20-9 season and third place in the Heartland Conference in 2018-19. That followed a 2017-18 campaign in which NU won 10 HC games, its highest total in league games since the 2012-13 season.

THREE PARTY:  The Blue Tigers exploded for 16 treys in a win over Pittsburg State, and have been one of the MIAA's best three-point shooting teams in 2021-22. LU has made 178 treys on the season for an average of 8.1 per game, the seventh-best in the MIAA. Arash Yaqubi is shooting .429 from beyond the arch while Mark Boland is shooting .415.

HELPING HANDS:  The Blue Tigers are doing a good job moving the ball, as Lincoln currently ranks sixth in the MIAA in assists with 12.6 per contest. LU is led in this stat by Destan Williams, who is averaging 3.5 assists, the sixth-most in the league. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden is eighth in the league with 3.2 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 8.7 offensive rebounds per game. Lincoln also is seventh in three-pointers made per game (8.1), is sixth in the league in fewest fouls (375), and LU is sixth in assists per game (12.6) as well as eighth in the MIAA in rebounds per contest (32.5).

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:  Lincoln heads to Wichita, Kan. next Thursday (Feb. 24) to play a rematch against Newman at 7:30 p.m. CST.