Complete Game Notes
Game #11: Lincoln (7-3, 3-3 MIAA) at No. 20 Emporia State (10-3, 4-3 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Emporia, Kan.Live Stats: https://esuhornets.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

Game #12: Lincoln at Washburn (4-7, 1-4 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Topeka, Kan.
Live Stats: https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/LUBlueTigers

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team is back on the road this week with two games in Kansas against MIAA opponents. The Blue Tigers first travel to Emporia, Kan. to play Emporia State on Thursday (Jan. 5) at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Hornets, who are ranked No. 20 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll, are 10-3 overall but just 4-3 in conference play. On Saturday (Jan. 7), the Blue Tigers visit Topeka, Kan. to take on Washburn at 3:00 p.m. CST. WU enters the week 4-7 on the season and 1-4 in the MIAA.

FAST BREAKS
- On Thursday, Lincoln and Emporia State will meet for the 34th time, with the Hornets leading the series, 20-13. Lincoln has won eight of its last 11 games against the Hornets.

- The Blue Tigers have won four of their last five games against Emporia State in Emporia, Kan. The lone loss came last year, when ESU won on its home court, 90-71.

- Lincoln and Washburn will square off for the 38th time on Saturday, with WU leading the series, 33-4. WU has won five-straight against the Blue Tigers.

- The Blue Tigers are 7-3 through their first 10 games for the second time in the last three seasons. Lincoln began the 2020-21 season, which was an MIAA-only slate, 7-3 before finishing 12-11.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Lincoln has two prolific scorers in Artese Stapleton (19.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 3.2 apg.) and Kevin Kone (15.4 ppg.), with Kone additionally leading LU in rebounds with a 13.7 average. LU is out-rebounding teams by a 43.0 to 32.2 average, with Franck Yetna, who scores 5.6 points per night, averaging 5.0 boards. Sai Witt has also emerged as a scoring threat with an average of 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds.

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 79, Concordia-St. Paul 64
Kevin Kone turned in a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Artese Stapleton scored 19 and Emmette Page chipped in 13 as the Blue Tigers beat Concordia-St. Paul in Nebraska on Dec. 19, 79-64. Lincoln shot .508 overall and .455 from three-point range while out-gaining the Golden Bears in rebounding, 39-27.

Lincoln 78, Nebraska Kearney 65
Sai Witt (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Kevin Kone (13 points, 17 rebounds) each doubled up as LU beat Nebraska Kearney, 78-65, on Saturday (Dec. 31). Artese Stapleton finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, part of a dominant day on the glass for Lincoln in which the Blue Tigers pulled down 49 boards compared to 30 for UNK.

Fort Hays State 66, Lincoln 53
Fort Hays State led by 15 at halftime and held off a late Lincoln comeback as the Blue Tigers fell by a final score of 66-53 on Monday (Jan. 2). Kevin Kone (14 points) and Sai Witt (11 points) each had eight rebounds while Artese Stapleton led Lincoln with 15 points. The Blue Tigers shot .476 in the second half, but made only a pair of treys.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:  Owen Long (15.8 ppg.) and Alijah Comithier (13.9 ppg.) are the top scorers for Emporia State, which is out-scoring its opponents by an average of 72.9-63.4 per game. Kaden Evans, who is averaging 7.3 points, leads ESU with 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Mayuom Buom (9.7 ppg.) and Atavian Butler (9.1 ppg.) are ESU's other main scorers.

ESU HEAD COACH CRAIG DOTY:  A three-time national champion head coach, Doty is in his fifth season as the leader of the Hornets. Doty, who is 65-58 at Emporia State, won a pair of national titles at Rock Valley before winning a NAIA title at Graceland. Doty has coached ESU to five wins over nationally-ranked teams, including a 74-65 victory over No. 1 Northwest Missouri earlier this season.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Despite having a losing record, Washburn is out-scoring (72.9-70.4) and out-rebounding (35.6-32.6) its opponents, and have forced 164 total turnovers. Andrew Orr leads Washburn with 14.5 points per night and is grabbing 6.0 rebounds while Connor Deffebaugh is averaging 10.2 points and 3.4 assists. Michael Keegan is leading the team in rebounding (6.1) and steals (1.2).

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his sixth season leading the Ichabods, Ballard has won over 100 games and have reached the MIAA tournament championship game four times, with Washburn winning the tourney in 2021. Ballard coached on staffs at Wake Forest and Tulsa, and was the head coach at Baker for two seasons.

DEFEATING DIVISION I:  Lincoln's exhibition win over Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 7 was the first victory over a Division I opponent for the Blue Tigers since 1978-79, when LU beat Arkansas-Little Rock in Jefferson City, 84-60. That was one of two regular season wins over a DI for LU, which also beat UALR, then a DI Independent, in 1977-78.

DEFENDING DIVISION II:  The Blue Tigers boast one of the top defenses in NCAA Division II, ranking 14th out of 290 teams with just 61.5 points allowed per game. That has helped LU post a scoring margin of +13.1 that ranks 29th in the country. A big part of LU's success has been on the glass, as Lincoln is fifth nationally in rebounds per game (43.0) and sixth in rebound margin (+10.8). Meanwhile, LU's .395 field goal defense is 24th in Division II.

KING OF THE GLASS:  Kevin Kone is currently leading the nation in rebounding, as his 13.7 average is the highest in NCAA Division II. Kone, who had a 22-board night vs. Newman, leads DII in offensive rebounding (5.4) and is fifth nationally in defensive rebounding (8.3). His 137 total rebounds this year are the fifth-most in Division II.

THE ART OF SCORING:  Artese Stapleton enters the week as the MIAA's second-leading scorer with 19.3 points per game, and he has scored at least 13 points in every game in 2022-23. Stapleton, who has three 20-point games, had a 27-point, 10-assist day in the win over Calvary. Stapleton's scoring average is also the 45th-best in NCAA Division II this season.

GET YOUR TICKETS:  Lincoln is partnering with Hometown Ticketing once again to sell tickets to all of LU's basketball games online in 2022-23. 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 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 returns home to host Rogers State in Jason Gym on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. CST.