Complete Game Notes
Game #17: Lincoln (5-11, 3-7 MIAA) at Missouri Western (15-4, 9-2 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: St. Joseph, Mo.
Live Stats: https://gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #18: Lincoln at Northwest Missouri (9-7, 4-6 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Maryville, Mo.
Live Stats: https://bearcatsports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #19: Lincoln at Missouri Southern (14-4, 6-4 MIAA)
Date: Monday, Jan. 23, 2023
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Joplin, Mo.
Live Stats: https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  Winners of two-straight and three of its last four games, the Lincoln women's basketball team will try to keep its success going on the road with three MIAA contests in five days. Up first is Missouri Western, with the Blue Tigers playing the Griffons in St. Joseph, Mo. on Thursday (Jan. 19) at 5:30 p.m. CST. On Saturday (Jan. 21), LU travels to Maryville, Mo. for a 1:30 p.m. CST game against Northwest Missouri before heading to Joplin, Mo. on Monday (Jan. 23) to play at 5:30 p.m. CST vs. Missouri Southern. The Griffons are on an eight-game winning streak while the Bearcats have won four of their last five. MSSU has also won two-straight.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Missouri Western will meet for the 49th time on Thursday. The Griffons lead the series, 43-5.

- Lincoln's last victory over Missouri Western came in 2017-18, when the Blue Tigers picked up a 73-62 home win over the Griffons.

- Lincoln and Northwest Missouri will meet for the 53rd time on Saturday. NWMSU leads the series, 41-11.

- The Blue Tigers' last win over Northwest Missouri was a 72-46 win over in Jason Gym on Jan. 28, 2021.

- On Monday, Lincoln and Missouri Southern will meet for the 40th time. The Lions lead the all-time series, 36-3.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln is led by Le'Yanna McGinnis, who is averaging 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. Next on the scoring list is Kelsey Mitchell, who is shooting .361 from the floor while averaging 9.2 points. Saniya Simmons (3.6 assists per game) and Niyah Jackson (2.9 apg.) are leading Lincoln in assists, & Ashlyn Alloway averages 7.9 points.

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.

LAST TIME OUT
Lincoln 73, Rogers State 56
The Blue Tigers outscored Rogers State by nine in the second quarter and 10 in the fourth as Lincoln picked up its first home MIAA win of 2022-23 with a 73-56 victory on Thursday (Jan. 12). Both Niyah Jackson and Kelsey Mitchell scored 11 points while AJ Bradley and Miriam Bazylewicz each chipped in 10 points. Three other Blue Tigers each scored eight points.

Lincoln 61, Northeastern State 57
Lincoln took a 21-16 lead after the first quarter and never looked back as the Blue Tigers won 61-57 over Northeastern State on Saturday (Jan. 14). LU was led by Ashlyn Alloway with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Le'Yanna McGinnis had 11 points while Kelsey Mitchell scored 10.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS:  Brionna Budgetts (17.0 ppg.) and Connie Clarke (15.1 ppg., 9.6 rpg.) are Missouri Western's leading scorers while the next four players on the list average a little over six points per night. The Griffons outscore opponents 77.3-62.5, and average 10.2 steals per night. MWSU also outrebounds teams, 39.8-33.7.

MWSU HEAD COACH CANDI WHITAKER:  In her first year with Missouri Western, Whitaker led the Griffons to 21 wins and a berth in the MIAA tournament. Whitaker, now in her fourth season at MWSU, led the Griffons to the Elite 8 in 2022. She spent nine years as a head coach at the Division I level, most recently at Texas Tech, where she made four-straight trips to the Big 12 tourney.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:  NWMSU has just one player, Molly Hartnett (12.7 ppg.) averaging over 10 points per night, but the Bearcats are very tough defensively, allowing opponents to score just 61.4 points per contest. Kelsey Fields, who is averaging 7.8 points, leads Northwest Missouri with 8.8 rebounds per game.

NWMSU HEAD COACH AUSTIN MEYER:  A four-year letterwinner Northwest Missouri's men's basketball team from 2002-06, Meyer is in his fifth season leading the Bearcat women and enters the week with a career record of 53-72. From 2008-18, Meyer served as an assistant coach on the NWMSU men's basketball staff and helped lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2017.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Lacy Stokes is one of the MIAA's top overall players, averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals per night. Kryslyn Jones averages 10.2 points while Madi Stokes leads MSSU with 8.3 rebounds per game and averages 9.1 points. Amaya Johns (9.4 ppg.) and Layne Skiles (8.4 ppg.) are Missouri Southern's other leading scorers.

MSSU HEAD COACH RONNIE RESSEL:  An alum of MSSU, Ressel was promoted to head coach in 2016 after spending the previous three years as an assistant with the program. Ressel helped the Lions average 19 wins as an assistant and has won 94 games as the head coach. Last year, the Lions won the MIAA regular season championship.

LET'S GO STREAKING!:  The Blue Tigers have been hot the last two weeks, winning three of their last four games, including each of their past two. LU's back-to-back wins over MIAA teams was its first since February of 2017, and its first two-game win streak against MIAA competition at home since December of 2015. If Lincoln wins at Missouri Western on Thursday, it will be LU's first three-game win streak in MIAA games since a four-game streak during the 2014-15 campaign.

IT'S A STEAL:  Saniya Simmons, who is ninth in the MIAA in assists with 3.6 per game, has been an even better thief, as she leads Lincoln with 39 steals this season. That total ranks fifth in the MIAA, and that averages to 2.4 per night, the fifth-best average in the league. On the national level, Simmons is 59th in DII in steals per game and 55th in total steals.

SHOOTING STAR:  Le'Yanna McGinnis is currently fifth in the MIAA and 48th in the country in field goal shooting with a .512 percentage. She has made 87 field goals, the 11th-most in the league, while her 49 free throw rate 12th.

DOUBLE DIGITS:  Kelsey Mitchell has scored at least 10 points in five of the last seven games, including in each of Lincoln's last three wins. Mitchell, who scored 17 in the road win over Emporia State, chipped in 11 vs. Rogers State and 10 against Northeastern State.

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:  The Blue Tigers return home to host Central Missouri on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:00 p.m. CST.