Complete Game Notes
Game #20: No. 7 Central Missouri (16-1, 12-1 MIAA) at Lincoln (5-14, 3-9 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jason Gym (1,538) in Jefferson City, Mo.
Tickets: https://www.lubluetigers.com/tickets
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln women's basketball team will play for its third-straight home win on Saturday (Jan. 28) when the Blue Tigers host Central Missouri at 1:00 p.m. CST. LU, which is coming off a three-game road trip, won its previous two games inside Jason Gym with a 73-56 victory over Rogers State on Jan. 12 and a 61-57 win against Northeastern State on Jan. 14. To get a third-straight home win, however, Lincoln will need to beat a very good Central Missouri squad that enters the week ranked No. 7 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Division II poll. Both programs are also vying to get back in the win column; Lincoln dropped all three games of its road trip while Central Missouri lost for the first time in 2022-23 on Saturday (Jan. 21) with a 66-63 decision at Missouri Western.

FAST BREAKS
- Lincoln and Central Missouri will meet for the 67th time on Saturday, with the Jennies leading the all-time series, 63-3.

- Lincoln's last two wins vs. Central Missouri both came in Warrensburg, as LU won, 82-76, in 2015-16, and 57-53 in 2011-12.

- A win for Lincoln would be its third-straight at home following wins over Rogers State and Northeastern State on Jan. 12 & 14. LU last accomplished that feat in 2018-19 with a four-game home win streak.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln is led by Le'Yanna McGinnis, who is averaging 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Next on the scoring list is Kelsey Mitchell, who is shooting .388 from the three-point range while averaging 8.2 points. Saniya Simmons (3.3 assists per game) and Niyah Jackson (2.8 apg.) are leading Lincoln in assists, & Ashlyn Alloway averages 7.4 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
Missouri Western 65, Lincoln 54
Lincoln forced Missouri Western into 20 turnovers but shot just .345 from the field as the Blue Tigers fell to the Griffons, 65-54, last Thursday (Jan. 19). AJ Bradley led LU with 13 points and three assists and Kelsey Mitchell scored nine to go with a team-high five rebounds. Le'Yanna McGinnis tallied six points and four steals.

Northwest Missouri 72, Lincoln 48
The Blue Tigers shot .500 in the first quarter en route to a 14-9 lead and .600 in the second period, but Northwest Missouri scored 45 points over the final 20 minutes to pull away for a 72-48 victory on Saturday (Jan. 21). Le'Yanna McGinnis led Lincoln with 19 points and Saniya Simmons scored eight while Niyah Jackson dished three assists.

Missouri Southern 84, Lincoln 45
Missouri Southern shot .519 overall and .400 from three-point range to beat the Blue Tigers, 84-45, on Monday evening (Jan. 23). Le'yanna McGinnis and Mercy Gonzalez each scored nine points while Ashlyn Alloway added seven. McGinnis also had seven rebounds. Miriam Bazylewicz, Alloway and Niyah Jackson each tallied two assists.

SCOUTING THE JENNIES:  Brooke Littrell does a bit of everything for Central Missouri, leading the team in scoring (19.2), rebounding (8.6) and steals (1.6) while averaging 2.4 assists and 0.9 blocks. Olivia Nelson averages 12.3 points and a team-high 4.1 assists, and Ashley Tull averages 9.4 points and 6.1 boards. Lauren Frost, who is tallying 8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists, is also an outstanding all-around player.

UCM HEAD COACH DAVE SLIFER:  Entering the weekend, Slifer has over 390 victories with the Jennies, the most of any coach in the history of the UCM program, and more than 700 wins in his career. Slifer, who was selected as the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2013, has led the Jennies to 11 seasons with 20 or more wins and the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

YOU AGAIN...:  Beginning this weekend, Lincoln will play nine-straight rematches to conclude the regular season. Central Missouri, who beat LU, 80-58, in December, will be the first rematch of the year for Lincoln, which will also face for a second time Missouri Southern, Pittsburg State, Fort Hays State, Nebraska Kearney, Washburn, Emporia State, Northeastern State and Rogers State in February.

IT'S A STEAL:  Saniya Simmons, who is ninth in the MIAA in total assists with 62, has been an even better thief, as she leads Lincoln with 41 steals this season. That total ranks fifth in the MIAA, and that averages to 2.2 per night, the sixth-best average in the league. On the national level, Simmons is 95th in DII in steals per game and 68th in total steals.

SHOOTING STAR:  Le'Yanna McGinnis is fourth in the MIAA and 51st in the country in field goal shooting with a .516 percentage. She has made 99 field goals, the 10th-most in the league, while her 59 free throw also rate as the 12th-most in the conference.

UP THE BLOCK:  Beyond being LU's offensive leader, Le'Yanna McGinnis has also been an asset on defense, as she is averaging 6.3 rebounds per night, including 3.5 on the defensive side. McGinnis also has blocked 21 shots, the eighth-most by any MIAA player in 2022-23. Her 1.11 blocks per game averages is ninth in the league.

DOUBLE DIGITS:  Kelsey Mitchell has scored at least 10 points 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. On the season, who has eight performances with at least 10 points in 2022-23, can credit her success to her ability to shoot the ball; Mitchell is currently fourth in the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage (.388).

TOP-FIVE:  AJ Bradley has excelled at getting to the line, as, in three years at Lincoln, she has attempted 302 free throws. Bradley has made 206 of those attempts and has moved into fifth place all-time in program history in total career made free throws. She passed Hunter Yoakum (2013-17), who made 197, and is 39 away from passing Shara Tauai (244, 2001-04) for fourth all-time.

TURN IT OVER:  Lincoln has forced 15.8 turnovers per game, the seventh-most by an MIAA team this season. LU is eighth in the league in steals per game (8.1), and the Blue Tigers have created 301 total turnovers.

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:  Lincoln continues a three-game home stand on Thursday (Feb. 2) by hosting Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m. CST.