Complete Game Notes | Game Day Policies
Game #9: Missouri Southern (3-7, 1-3 MIAA) at Lincoln (7-1, 2-1 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers/

Game #10: William Woods (7-4) at Lincoln
Date: Monday, Dec. 18, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers/

THE TIP OFF:  The Lincoln men's basketball team is back in Jason Gym to play a pair of games before leaving for the holiday break. The Blue Tigers will host Missouri Southern on Saturday (Dec. 16) at 3:00 p.m. CST in an MIAA match-up. On Monday (Dec. 18), Lincoln will take part in an unusual double-header, as it will follow the LU women playing MIAA rival Pittsburg State by facing William Woods in a 7:30 p.m. CST non-conference game. The Blue Tigers are a perfect 3-0 at home this season and are 7-1 overall as well as 2-1 in MIAA play. Last week, the Blue Tigers defeated Hannibal-LaGrange and Central Missouri to continue an outstanding start to the season. Missouri Southern is 3-7 on the year and 1-3 in MIAA play heading into a Thursday night (Dec. 14) road game against Central Missouri. William Woods, meanwhile, is 7-4 under first-year head coach Jordan Ashton.

FAST BREAKS
- The Blue Tigers and Missouri Southern will meet for the 48th time on Saturday, with MSSU leading the all-time series, 33-14.

- Lincoln swept the season series against MSSU in 2022-23, including beating the Lions at home, 76-57.

- This will be just the second-ever meeting between LU and William Woods.

- LU beat WWU, 82-61, in Jefferson City last year.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Elijah Farr is averaging 11.8 points and 9.9 rebounds while DJ Richardson is scoring 16.3 points per night as LU is 7-1 on the young season. Franck Yetna, with 12.5 points per contest, is also one of the team's top scorers while Jamar Madge, Jr. averages 9.8 and Jose Roberto Tanchyn averages 8.3.

HEAD COACH JIMMY DREW:  In his second year as the head coach at Lincoln, Drew led the Blue Tigers to 17 overall wins and 13 conference victories, the latter a program record, in 2022-23. Drew came to LU following a six-year run on the staff at Division I Central Florida, where he helped UCF to a pair of 20-win seasons and a berth in the second round of the NCAA tourney.

LAST TIME OUT
Lincoln 66, Hannibal-LaGrange 48
Franck Yetna led LU with 16 points and Elijah Farr totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds as Lincoln won a defensive tussle vs. Hannibal-LaGrange last Wednesday (Dec. 6). Tyson Robinson came off the bench to provide 14 points and Jamar Madge, Jr. chipped in 11. The Blue Tigers forced 19 turnovers with Yetna tallying five steals.

Lincoln 61, Central Missouri 52
Lincoln shot .577 in the second half to earn a 61-52 home win over MIAA rival Central Missouri last Saturday (Dec. 9). DJ Richardson poured in 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists while Franck Yetna added 11 points and seven boards to the winning cause. Elijah Farr finished with 10 points as the Blue Tigers beat UCM in Jason Gym for the seventh-straight time.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:  Vinson Sigmon, Jr. is leading Missouri Southern with 11.3 points per game while Darius Dawson averages 11.2 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds. Despite owning a 3-7 record, MSSU has only been out-scored by an average of one point per game and have 65 steals compared to 54 by opponents, with Cam Williams leading the team with 17 takeaways.

MSSU HEAD COACH SAM McMAHON:  In just over one year leading the Lions, McMahon has a 20-20 overall record after helping MSSU go 17-13 in 2022-23. A Jefferson City native, McMahon was the assistant coach at Missouri Southern for six years before joining the staff at NCAA Division I Southeast Missouri State. He also experience working at Central Methodist and Missouri State.

SCOUTING THE OWLS:  Four William Woods players are averaging over 10 points per game as WWU is 7-4 entering this weekend. DJ Purnell leads the Owls with 13.7 points and averages 6.4 rebounds while Henry Shannon III, who leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per night, averages 13.0 points. Gacoby Jones, Jr. is next on the team scoring list with 11.0 points per game, followed by Nate Schwartze with 10.1 points per night.

WWU HEAD COACH JORDAN ASHTON:  The first-year head coach of the Owls is no stranger to the Show Me State, as Ashton played two seasons at Northwest Missouri State. Before coming to William Woods, Ashton spent one year leading Iowa Wesleyan to the winningest season in team history, as the Tigers went 27-3 and were ranked as high as #23 in the country This year at WWU, Ashton has the Owls off to a 7-4 start.

BEST IN NEARLY 40 YEARS:  Lincoln enjoyed a great start to 2023-24, winning each of its first five games while out-shooting every opponent. This 5-0 start was the best for Lincoln in nearly 40 years, as LU last opened a season with four wins in a row in 1984-85. The Blue Tigers began that year 7-0 en route to a 14-10 record for the season.

FARR OUT:  Elijah Farr leads the MIAA and is ranked 18th in NCAA Division II in rebounding (9.9), just one of the ways he has been a do-it-all player for the Blue Tigers. Farr ranks sixth in the country in defensive rebounding (7.6) and eighth in double-doubles (five). He additionally is sixth in the MIAA in blocks (10) and 15th in assists (3.0) while averaging 11.8 points.

SHOOTING STARS:  The Blue Tigers have had hot hands in the early part of 2023-24, rating second in the MIAA and 35th in the country with a .395 shooting percentage from long distance. Lincoln also ranks 62nd nationally in overall field goal percentage (.481) and 33rd in effective field goal percentage (.565). The Blue Tigers, who additionally are 30th in the country in free throw percentage (.770), has the nation's 51st-best scoring margin of +9.5.

D-D-D-DEFENSE:  Lincoln is not only good at shooting, but also excels on defense, allowing opponents to score just 66.0 points per game, the 23rd-fewest by any Division II team in 2023-24. Opponents are shooting .416 against LU, 57th-lowest percentage in the country, and Lincoln's +5.1 rebound margin is second in the MIAA and 50th in DII.

DJ'S TOP-10:  DJ Richardson has established himself as one of the nation's top free throw shooters, as he enters the weekend with a .939 accuracy rating. That percentage is the 10th-best in NCAA Division II. Richardson also rates eighth in the MIAA in points per game (16.3) and is tied for 15th in assists (3.0).

GET YOUR TICKETS:  Lincoln is partnering up with Hometown Ticketing once again to sell tickets to all of LU's basketball games online in 2023-24. For more information, or to purchase single game or regular season tickets, 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:  After the break, Lincoln will resume MIAA play by hosting Pittsburg State on Dec. 30 at 3:00 p.m. CST.