Complete Game Notes
Game #25: No. 9 Fort Hays State (21-3, 15-3 MIAA) at Lincoln (5-19, 1-17 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #26: Nebraska Kearney (19-5, 14-4 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team is at home this week for two more games against league opponents. Up first is a Fort Hays State that is ranked No. 9 in the country is this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll. Lincoln and Fort Hays State will meet on Thursday (Feb. 17) at 5:30 p.m. CST in a rematch of a contest played in Hays, Kan. back on Jan. 8 that FHSU won, 92-57. On Saturday (Feb. 19), the Blue Tigers will be back in Jason Gym as Nebraska Kearney visits for a 1:00 p.m. CST contest. This is also a rematch, as the Lopers previously beat the Blue Tigers, 70-50, in Kearney, Neb. on Jan. 6.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Fort Hays State will meet for the 18th time in series history on Thursday night. FHSU is 13-1 all-time against the Blue Tigers.

- The Blue Tigers' win over Fort Hays State came on the road in 2011-12, with Lincoln winning in overtime, 76-75.

- On Saturday, Lincoln will play Nebraska Kearney for the 13th time, with the Lopers leading the all-time series, 11-1.

- The Blue Tigers beat Nebraska Kearney during the 2014-15 season inside Jason Gym, 90-68. The Lopers have won each other meeting in series.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Le'Yanna McGinnis leads Lincoln in scoring (9.1 ppg.) and Niyah Jackson, who leads the Blue Tigers with 2.4 assists per contest, is scoring 7.8 ppg. Ashtin Ingram has blocked 17 shots this year, while AJ Bradley leads Lincoln with 26 steals. Kelsey Mitchell averages 7.7 points while Imani Jones, who averages a team-high 4.9 rebounds, is scoring 7.1 points per night.

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 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.

LAST TIME OUT
Washburn 67, Lincoln 55
Lincoln led 26-25 at halftime, but Washburn rallied during the second half to escape with a 67-55 win over the Blue Tigers last Thursday (Feb. 10). Three Blue Tigers scored in double figures, led by Hya Haywood with 15 points, while Kelsey Mitchell scored 11 and Kylie Bernskoetter chipped in 10. Niyah Jackson dished three assists.

Emporia State 88, Lincoln 72
Hya Haywood scored a game-high 29 points, but the Blue Tigers dropped an 88-72 decision on the road to Emporia State on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 12). Mercy Gonzalez posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Imani Jones came off the bench to provide 10 points and five boards. Niyah Jackson added seven points.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  Fort Hays State scores an average of 75 points while allowing 59 per game, with Katie Wagner averaging close to a double-double at 14.4 points and 8.2 rebounds. Olivia Hollenbeck is tallying 11.6 points per game while Whitney Randall (10.8 ppg.) and Jaden Hobbs (10.4 ppg.) also average double digits.

FHSU HEAD COACH TONY HOBSON:  One of the most successful coaches in the country, Hobson has a career winning percentage of .767, that ranks him among the top-12 of all active coaches in NCAA Division II. FHSU has appeared in the Top-25 in eight of the past nine years and has made each of the past 11 MIAA tournaments, highlighted by a tourney championship in 2019. Hobson is a six-time league coach of the year.

SCOUTING THE LOPERS:  Nebraska Kearney is tough defensively, allowing just 55.1 points per game. Elisa Backes is the team's leading scorer with 11.9 points per game, followed by Klaire Kirsch, who averages 9.1 points while leading the team with 8.8 rebounds per contest. Trinity Law is averaging 8.4 points, and Shiloh McCool tallies 8.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Kirsch is leading the Lopers with 29 steals while Haley Simental has a team-best 70 assists.

UNK HEAD COACH CARRIE EIGHMEY:  In her seventh season at Nebraska Kearney, Eighmey has led the Lopers to 132 wins, including the MIAA tournament championship in 2020-21. The Lopers made the NCAA Division II Sweet-16 that season. Before she joined the Lopers, she coached her alma mater, Hastings, to two trips to the NAIA Division II tournament.

DENIED:  The Blue Tigers have blocked 85 shots this season, second-most in the MIAA and the 54th-most in NCAA Division II. That averages out to 3.5 rejections per contest, the third-most in the league and the 65th-most in the country. The Blue Tigers are led by Ashtin Ingram with 17 blocks, while Mercy Gonzalez has 15 & Ayreona Carter is next with 14 rejections.

HOME SWEET HOME:  The Blue Tigers will get to enjoy plenty of home cooking in February, as Lincoln plays seven of its final nine games of the regular season in Jason Gym. That includes two games this week and another next Saturday, as LU is home for three of its final four contests.

TAKE IT AWAY:  The Blue Tigers have stolen the ball 196 times in 2021-22, and currently are 98th in Division II in total steals and seventh in the MIAA in both total steals and steals per game (8.2). Lincoln is also sixth in turnovers forced, as LU has created 16.2 takeaways per game. Eight Blue Tigers have at least 13 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 61 shots over the past two seasons, placing her seventh all-time on LU's career block list. Ingram needs just four 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 272 boards to rate third in the MIAA with 11.3 offensive boards per game. Lincoln led the MIAA in offensive rebounding last year with 12.6 offensive boards per contest. Imani Jones has collected 53 offensive rebounds on the year, which is the eighth-most by any MIAA player, while Le'Yanna McGinnis is second for LU with 24.

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 plays its final road game of 2021-22 on Thursday (Feb. 24) in Wichita, Kan. against Newman at 5:30 p.m. CST.