Complete Game Notes
Game #15: Lincoln (10-4, 6-4 MIAA) at Missouri Western (8-8, 4-6 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: St. Joseph, Mo.
Live Stats: https://gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #16: Lincoln at No. 9 Northwest Missouri (15-2, 8-2 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023
Time: 3:30 p.m. CST
Site: Maryville, Mo.
Live Stats: https://bearcatsports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #17: Lincoln at Missouri Southern (11-5, 7-3 MIAA)
Date: Monday, Jan. 23, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Joplin, Mo.
Live Stats: https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team will try to keep its three-game win streak going this week with three road games against MIAA oponents. Up first is Missouri Western, as the Blue Tigers head to St. Joseph, Mo. on Thursday (Jan. 19) to take on the Griffons at 7:30 p.m. CST. On Saturday (Jan.21), Lincoln takes on the No. 9 team in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' DII poll in a 3:30 p.m. CST contest in Maryville, Mo. vs. Northwest Missouri. The Blue Tigers close the road trip on Monday (Jan. 23) in Joplin, Mo. with a 7:30 p.m. CST game against Missouri Southern.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Missouri Western have met 51 times, with MWSU leading the series, 38-13. Lincoln's victory came on Jan. 30, 2021, when LU beat MWSU at home, 95-74. The Griffons entered that game ranked No. 23, and was also the last time that LU beat a ranked opponent.

- Lincoln and Northwest Missouri meet for the 87th time on Saturday, with NWMSU holding a 56-30 lead in the overall series. LU's last win over NWMSU was a 79-74 home victory in 2015..

- The Blue Tigers and the Lions meet for the 46th time on Monday. Missouri Southern leads the series, 33-12.

- The Blue Tigers' last win over Missouri Southern was a 76-68 home win on Nov. 28, 2020.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln has three prolific scorers in Artese Stapleton (18.6 ppg., 5.2 rpg., 3.5 apg.), Sai Witt (15.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg.) and Kevin Kone (13.3 ppg.), with Kone additionally leading LU in rebounds with a 12.2 average. Lincoln is out-scoring opponents, 72.7-62.9, and out-rebounding its foes, 41.2-31.5. Franck Yetna is averaging 4.7 boards while Sam Rautins is tallying 7.2 points per night.

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 76, Rogers State 74 (OT)
Rogers State rallied from a 15-point deficit to force overtime, but the Blue Tigers held off the Hillcats for a 76-74 win on Thursday (Jan. 12). DJ Richardson and Artese Stapleton each went 8-for-8 from the line, with Richardson scoring 15 points and Stapleton adding 19. Sai Witt had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Lincoln 76, Northeastern State 68
The Blue Tigers outscored Northeastern State 20-7 over the final seven minutes to earn a 76-68 win over the RiverHawks on Saturday (Jan. 14). Sai Witt, who had 10 rebounds, matched Artese Stapleton with 19 points while Sam Rautins had 17 after making five treys. DJ Richardson scored 12 points while Stapleton had seven assists.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Julius Dixon (13.2 ppg.), Will Eames (10.9 ppg.) and Taye Fields (10.8 ppg.) do the bulk of the scoring for MWSU, which is outscoring opponents by a thin 66.5-65.4 average. Fields is averaging 7.4 rebounds while Eames is next with 6.6, and Eames leads the team with 3.3 assists per night. The Griffons shoot .425 as a team overall and .713 at the free throw line.

MWSU HEAD COACH WILL MARTIN:  The third-year coach of the Griffons has MWSU off to an 8-8 start in 2022-23. 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, who spent two years working as an assistant coach with Missouri Western, also has worked on staffs at San Francisco and Martin Methodist.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  Four Northwest Missouri players average over 10 points per game with Mitch Mascari next with 8.2 ppg. Leading the team in points (16.4 ppg.), rebounds (5.1 rpg.) and assists (3.7 apg.) is Diego Bernard. Bennett Stirtz is averaging 13.6 points and 3.3 assists, and Luke Waters is tallying 11.2 points per contest while Wes Dreamer averages 10.2 points.

NWMSU HEAD COACH BEN McCOLLUM:  In 14 seasons, McCollum has led NWMSU to over 300 wins and eight MIAA regular season titles. In 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022, 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 LIONS:  Missouri Southern is averaging 74.5 points per night while allowing 65.9, with Vinson Sigmon, Jr. leading the team with 13.0 points per game. Avery Taggart is next with 12.0 points per contest while also averaging 3.7 assists, and Winston Dessesow averages 11.9 points. Parker Long leads the team in assists (3.8) and averages 10.0 points while Christian Bundy averages 9.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.

MSSU HEAD COACH SAM McMAHON:  In his first year leading the Lions, McMahon has MSSU off to an 11-5 start overall and a 7-3 record in the MIAA. A Jefferson City native, McMahon was the assistant coach at Missouri Southern for six years before joining the staff at Division I Southeast Missouri State. He also experience working at Central Methodist and Missouri State.

SAI ANYTHING:  Since joining the lineup on Dec. 19, Sai Witt has given Lincoln a huge spark in every aspect of the game. Witt is averaging 15.0 points, the second-most on the team, as well as 9.0 rebounds, the second-most on the squad. Witt has also dished nine assists, recorded six steals and blocked five shots while shooting .476 from the field.

DEFENDING DIVISION II:  The Blue Tigers boast one of the top defenses in NCAA Division II, ranking 17th out of 290 teams with just 62.9 points allowed per game. That has helped LU post a scoring margin of +9.8 that ranks 48th in the country. Meanwhile, LU's .407 field goal defense is 29th in Division II.

TOP OF THE GLASS:  Lincoln continues to be one of the best rebounding teams in the country, averaging 41.2 per night, the most in the MIAA and 14th-most in Division II. LU ranks seventh nationally in rebound margin (+9.7) and is attacking the offensive glass for 14.5 boards per contest, also the seventh-most in the country.

THE ART OF SCORING:  Artese Stapleton enters the week as the MIAA's second-leading scorer with 18.6 points per game, and he has scored at least 11 points in every game he's played. Stapleton, who has three 20-point games, had a 27-point, 10-assist day in the victory over Calvary. His scoring average is also the 60th-best in NCAA Division II this season.

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:  Lincoln is back in Jason Gym next Saturday (Jan. 28) to host Central Missouri at 3:00 p.m. CST.