Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Lincoln University Athletics

Scoreboard

Emmanuel Kakulu
Bill Rudick

Men's Basketball Chris Weeden, Director of Sports Information and Marketing

Golden Bears and Lions to tussle Saturday

If last year's game was any indication of how this afternoon's game is going to be, those at Manuel Rivero Hall will be in for a treat.

On Dec. 29, 2009, the Lions traveled to then-No. 7 Kutztown University, and the two teams engaged in a display for the ages with the guards on both sides putting on a show before the Golden Bears escaped their home court with an 88-76 win.

But both teams are quite different at this juncture in the season. Kutztown, in its first visit to Lincoln since 1989, is without last year's Division II Player of the Year Stephen Dennis, and Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, Md./Western School of Technology) is the lone guard for LU that played in last year's meeting.

What a guy to have back. On Monday, the junior guard from Baltimore was named the CIAA Player and Newcomer of the Week for his 31-point performance against NCAA Division I Coppin State and 16-point outing versus Millersville, becoming Lincoln's first athlete to win two conference honors in the same week in any sport.

He showed that kind of potential against Kutztown last year, establishing what was a career-high until last week with 18 points by knocking down four treys at Keystone Arena. This year, he is averaging 15.6 points per game, exactly 10 points better than 5.6 he averaged in 2009-10. He has also scored in double figures in three of the last four games.

Pacing KU is Nate Edwards with 15.7 ppg, but its attack is balanced. Julius Gray (13.6), Tamir Johnson (12.1) and Eric Brennan (11.3) all average in double figures. Johnson poses an additional problem under the glass. He hauls in 8.7 boards per game.

Attempting to match that will be Lincoln's top guy in the block, Eugene Smith (West Palm Beach, Fl/PennWood ), who averages nine boards. He is also a Lincoln's second scoring threat with 7.4 ppg and is coming off a game against Millersville in which he recorded a career-high four blocks.

Coach John Hill said that in reviewing the tape, Kutztown is the most talented Division II team he has seen so far this season and that a win today will provide momentum going into the CIAA schedule with just one out-of-conference tune-up remaining.

Lincoln plays Central State University from Ohio on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Lincoln begins the conference slate with Saint Augustine's College on Jan. 6 at Manuel Rivero Hall. The evening features a doubleheader with the women's game tipping at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow afterward.
Print Friendly Version