Complete Game Notes | Game Day Policies
Game #14: Emporia State (11-4, 4-3 MIAA) at Lincoln (9-4, 4-3 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Jefferson City, Mo.
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Live Video: https://themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers/

Game #15: Washburn (9-4, 5-2 MIAA) at Lincoln
Date: Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024
Time: 3:00 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 plays its first home games of 2024 this week as the Blue Tigers host a pair of MIAA rivals. Up first is Emporia State in a rematch of last year's MIAA Championship quarterfinal game. Tip-off on Thursday (Jan. 11) is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST as Lincoln seeks to avenge its 79-70 postseason loss from last spring. On Saturday (Jan. 13), Lincoln takes on Washburn at 3:00 p.m. CST. The Blue Tigers are 9-4 on the season and 4-3 in MIAA play, but suffered a narrow 69-64 loss on the road to Fort Hays State on Saturday (Jan. 6). Emporia State lost at home to Central Oklahoma, 94-86, in its last game while Washburn is on a four-game winning streak.

FAST BREAKS
- Washburn and Lincoln meet for the 40th time this week, with the Ichabods leading the series, 33-6.

- The Blue Tigers swept Washburn last season, winning 72-67 in Topeka, Kan. on Jan. 7 before defeating WU in LU's penultimate home game, 64-58, on Feb. 16.

- Lincoln's victory over Washburn on Feb. 16 marked the first home win for the Blue Tigers over the Ichabods since 1967.

- Lincoln and Emporia State will meet for the 37th time, with the Hornets leading the series, 23-13. Emporia State has won five-straight over Lincoln.

PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS:  Elijah Farr is averaging 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds while DJ Richardson is scoring 15.9 points per night as LU is 9-4 on the season. Franck Yetna, with 12.9 points per contest, is also one of the team's top scorers while Jamar Madge, Jr. averages 8.6 points and Jose Roberto Tanchyn averages 7.6.

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
Pittsburg State 77, Lincoln 60
Pittsburg State shot .500 from the field and held Lincoln to .328 shooting to beat the Blue Tigers in Jefferson City, 77-60, on Dec. 30, 2023. Lincoln was led by Jose Roberto Tanchyn with 11 points and seven rebounds while Franck Yetna scored 11 and DJ Richardson added 10 points. The top rebounder was Sam Rautins with nine.

Lincoln 90, Nebraska Kearney 67
Four Blue Tigers scored in double figures as LU opened 2024 with a 90-67 win on the road against Nebraska Kearney last Thursday (Jan. 4). Elijah Farr led Lincoln with 20 points, Trey Boston had 15 and Franck Yetna provided 14 points as well as seven rebounds. DJ Richardson dished a team-high five assists and had three steals to go with 13 points.

Fort Hays State 69, Lincoln 64
DJ Richardson scored 20 points and Elijah Farr had 19, with both players also tallying five boards and two assists. Fort Hays State, however, edged Lincoln, 69-64, in Hays, Kan. on Saturday (Jan. 8). Franck Yetna chipped in 15 points, but the rest of Lincoln's lineup was held to just 10 combined points despite shooting .480 from the floor.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:  Emporia State has four players averaging at least 10 points, led by Alijah Comithier, who tallies 18.5 points, 5.8 boards and 3.1 assists per contest. Owen Long, who leads ESU with 3.3 assists per game, scores 16.3 points per game while Solomon Oraegbu is averaging 17.8 points. Atavian Butler, meanwhile, averages 13.6 points and 3.5 rebounds.

ESU HEAD COACH CRAIG DOTY:  A three-time national champion head coach, Doty is in his sixth season as the leader of the Hornets. Doty, who is 89-68 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 last season.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS:  Washburn out-scores opponents by an average of 82-71 points per game, shooting .487 overall and .423 from three-point range. Sam Ungashick leads WU with 15.5 points per game and 20 steals and is tied with Jack Bachelor, the reigning MIAA Player of the Week, with 3.2 assists per night. Bachelor is averaging 12.1 points while Andrew Orr tallies 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.

WU HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD:  In his seventh season leading the Ichabods, Ballard has won over 100 games and has 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.

FARR OUT:  Elijah Farr leads the MIAA and is ranked 52nd in NCAA Division II in rebounding (8.2), just one of the ways he has been a do-it-all player for the Blue Tigers. Farr ranks 29th in the country in defensive rebounding (6.3) and 21st in double-doubles (five). He additionally is 10th in the MIAA in blocks (13) and has 12 steals while averaging 12.7 points and 2.8 assists.

NOTABLE NATIONAL NUMBERS:  Lincoln is sharp at the line, shooting .803, NCAA Division II's fourth-best free throw percentage. The Blue Tiger defense is 39th in DII, as opponents score just 67.5 points per contest. LU's field goal percentage (.468) is the country's 88th-best while Lincoln's three-point percentage (.368) rates 70th. Lincoln has an effective field goal percentage of .544, 61st in DII.

PLAY IT, DJ:  DJ Richardson, who has the nation's 37th-best free throw percentage of .896, is leading Lincoln while rating ninth in the MIAA with 15.9 points per game. He is leading Lincoln with 3.0 assists per game, averages 2.8 boards and is shooting .464 overall, with that percentage ranking 10th in the MIAA. His 43 made three throws are also the 10th-most by an MIAA player this season.

QUITE FRANCKLY:  Franck Yetna has 26 steals on the year for an average of 2.0 per game, with both of those numbers ranking third in the MIAA this season. Yetna additionally rates 52nd in the country in total steals and 56th in steals per contest. Yetna, who averages 12.9 points, is grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game while dishing 1.2 assists.

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:  Lincoln travels to Claremore, Okla. on Thursday, Jan. 18 to play Rogers State in a 7:30 p.m. CST contest.