Complete Game Notes
Game #12: Lincoln (6-5, 2-3 MIAA) at No. 3 Emporia State (9-2, 3-2 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016
Time: 1:30 p.m. CST
Site: Emporia, Kan. – William L. White Auditorium
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/emporia/wbball/
Live Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/esu/
Game #13: Lincoln vs. Washburn (7-4, 3-2 MIAA)
Date: Monday, Jan. 4, 2016
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Site: Topeka, Kan. – Lee Arena (4,179)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/washburn/wbball/
Live Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/washburn/
THE TIP OFF: The Lincoln women's basketball team opens the new year on the road, as the Blue Tigers head to Kansas for a pair of MIAA contests. Lincoln begins 2016 on Saturday (Jan. 2) with a 1:30 p.m. CST game at Emporia State, which was ranked No. 3 in the country in the most recent WBCA/USA Today Division II Coaches Poll. The Blue Tigers then head to Washburn on Monday (Jan. 4) for a 5:30 p.m. CST tilt with the Ichabods. Both Emporia State (9-2 overall) and Washburn (7-4) are 3-2 in MIAA play while Lincoln closed the month of December with a 6-5 overall record and a 2-3 mark in league play.
FAST BREAKS
- This is the 24th meeting all-time between Lincoln and Emporia State, with the Lady Hornets leading the all-time series, 21-2.
- Monday marks the 23rd meeting between Lincoln and Washburn, with the Ichabods having won each of the previous 22 games.
- On Saturday, Lincoln will play its second-straight game against a ranked opponent, as Emporia State was No. 3 in the latest WBCA/USA Today Division II poll. Lincoln last played on Dec. 20 against No. 16 Missouri Western.
- A win over ESU would be LU's first vs. a ranked team since an 83-77 win over No. 12 Pittsburg State in 2011-12.
PREVIEWING THE BLUE TIGERS: Zuri Hill leads LU with 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while Lizzie Nessling is next on the rebound chart at 7.9. Hunter Yoakum is averaging 12.0 points while Dorian Briggs averages 10.4. Azaria Nave leads LU with 2.8 assists per contest.
HEAD COACH NICOLE COLLIER: After leading LU to the postseason in two of her first three years on the job, Nicole Collierreturns for her fourth season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers. A three-year assistant with LU before taking over as the head coach, Collier has helped lead Lincoln to double-digit victories in four of the past six years.
LAST TIME OUT: It was all tied up at 35 at the half, but No. 16 Missouri Western scored 50 points over the third and fourth quarters to hand the Blue Tigers an 85-62 loss on Dec. 20. Zuri Hill scored 19 and grabbed seven rebounds while Azaria Naveadded a career-high 17 points. Lizzie Nessling scored 11 and led LU with eight rebounds.
SCOUTING THE LADY HORNETS: Emporia State is outscoring opponents 77.6-59.2, thanks in part to Kelly Moten's 15.5 points per night. Sandra Ngoie averages 12.3 points while Kelsey Barnwell (11.5) and Addie Lackey (9.3) are next on ESU's scoring chart. Kathryn Flott leads Emporia State with 8.8 rebounds.
ESU HEAD COACH JORY COLLINS: The only coach in Emporia State history to begin his career with five-straight 20-win seasons, Collins has over 130 victories in six-plus years at ESU. Collins has led the Lady Hornets to three-straight MIAA titles and four-straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
SCOUTING THE ICHABODS: WU averages nearly 10 more rebounds per game than its rivals, led by Jayna Smith's 8.8 average. Erika Lane is the Ichabods only double-digit scorer, averaging 11.2 per night, though Erin Dohnalek & Alyxis Bowen are close with 9.9 and 9.2 ppg., respectively. Smith is WU's assist leader with 3.1 per game.
WU HEAD COACH RON McHENRY: In 16 years as Washburn's head coach, McHenry has enjoyed tremendous success, leading the WU to over 350 wins and the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championship. McHenry has won eight regular season MIAA championships as well as seven MIAA tournament titles.
DOUBLE THE FUN: Zuri Hill has been a force for Lincoln both as a scorer and a rebounder, and she has five double-doubles on the year. Hill, who doubled up in each of LU's first four games, leads the MIAA and was ranked 28th nationally in double-doubles as of Dec. 20, and currently is fifth in the conference in rebounding (8.7).
SWEET CHARITY: Lincoln rarely has to worry when Lizzie Nessling and Hunter Yoakum are sent to the charity stripe, as both players are among the best free throw shooters in LU history. Both Nessling and Yoakum both have career free throw percentages of .838, with that accuracy rate leading all players in program history with at least 50 career attempts and two seasons on the team.
NO WORRIES WITH ZURI: Zuri Hill has been one of the best players in the MIAA, as she is fifth in the league in rebounding (8.7) while ranking sixth in scoring (16.3). Hill, who is the only player ranked among the top-six in the MIAA in both rebounding and scoring, is also second in the league in both field goal percentage (.543) and
offensive rebounding (3.7), and she additionally is eighth in defensive rebounding (5.0).
NOTHING BUT NESS: Lizzie Nessling was Lincoln's rebounding leader last season after grabbing at least four boards in 17 contests for an average of 6.3. Nessling is off to a great start again in 2015-16, ranking second on the team and seventh in the MIAA with 7.9 rebounds per night. Nessling has pulled down at least six boards in every game, highlighted by a career-high 14-in LU's win over Rockhurst.
REAPING REBOUNDS: Rebounding has been Lincoln's forte this year, as LU ranks second in the MIAA with 41.3 boards per game. Lincoln is third in offensive rebounding (14.5) and defensive rebounding (26.7) with Zuri Hill (8.7, fifth) and Lizzie Nessling(7.9, seventh) each ranked among the top-10 in the conference.
COMING UP BRIGGS: Dorian Briggs has turned into one of Lincoln's top scorers this year, reaching the double-digit mark five times while ranking third on the team with 10.4 points per night. Briggs is also averaging 1.7 assists and leads the Blue Tigers, and ranks 20th in the MIAA, with 17 steals.
POINTS A-PLENTY: No player in the history of Dixon High basketball, female or male, has ever scored as many points as LU junior Hunter Yoakum, who scored 2,578 during her four-year career. Yoakum hasn't had any trouble finding the basket in college, as she's averaged 11.3 points throughout her Lincoln career, including 12.0 this season.
CENTURY SCORER: With three long-distance baskets against Illinois-Springfield, Hunter Yoakum became just the fifth Blue Tiger to make 100 career three-point shots. Yoakum, who has drained 112 shots from downtown, is three treys shy of tying Allis Parker for third on the career list and 42 shy of Sheila Leopold's all-time mark of 151
HUNTING FOR REBOUNDS: Hunter Yoakum has been one of LU's best scorers over the past three seasons, but this season she's also given LU a boost as a rebounder. After averaging 2.1 boards as a freshman and 2.9 last year, Yoakum is third on the team with 4.5 rebounds this year, grabbing at least five in five of Lincoln's past six games.
MANY MINUTES: Lizzie Nessling and Hunter Yoakum have put in some work through LU's first 11 games, as both players lead the league in minutes played with 35.7 per game.
GEAR UP FOR THE GAME: Get your Blue Tiger jerseys, apparel, accessories, office supplies and much, much more at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store of LU athletics. You can get everything you will need for basketball season, with a portion of all sales going directly to support all 12 LU athletic programs.
NEXT UP: Lincoln returns home on Thursday (Jan. 7) to host Nebraska-Kearney for a 5:30 p.m. CST contest.
By Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
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