The Lincoln University women's basketball team will open their regular season on Friday, November 9, 2018 when they play Kutztown University in the KU Conference Challenge in Kutztown, Pa.  The Lions will play Bloomsburg University on Saturday in the second game of the Challenge.
 
The Basics
 
Date:                   November 9-10, 2018
 
Location:             Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pa.
 
Time:                   Friday's game:         7:30 p.m.
                            Saturday's game:     2:00 p.m.
 
Arena:                  Keystone Arena
 
Opponent(s):         Friday:          Kutztown University
                             Saturday:      Bloomsburg University
 
 
The series vs. Kutztown:  The two teams have not met since the early part of the 2012-13 season.  Lincoln won their last meeting, 68-60 on November 27, 2012 at Manuel Rivero Hall.  However the Golden Bears lead the all time series, which dates back to the 2004-05 season, 5-1.  Lincoln is 0-3 in Keystone Arena
 
The series vs. Bloomsburg:  Saturday's game is just the second meeting between these two squads.  Bloomsburg won the first meeting 74-71 in double overtime on November 17, 2012 at Manuel Rivero Hall.
 
 
Livestats:      https://kubears.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
                   Same link for both games
 
Tickets:         Available at the door for $6.00 apiece.  
                   Non Kutztown student tickets are $3.00  apiece.
 
 
About the Lions:  The Lincoln University women's basketball team will have a different younger look to their squad as they kick off their 2018-19 campaign.   Eight seniors including four of the five starters from Coach Darrell Mosley's 17-18 squad have either graduated or completed their eligibility. That team went 18-11 last season and reached the CIAA Tournament semi-finals for the second year in a row.
 
Eleven newcomers will join four returnees including juniors Shahra Madison (Chesapeake, Va./Norfolk Collegiate School (Chesapeake College))  and Kenzie Spencer (Richmond, Va./Henrico). Madison is a big inside presence for the Lions, starting 18 games last season and ranking amongst the league leaders in rebounds (7.9/gm.) and field goal percentage (.571) while also averaging 8.3 points per game.  Spencer can play both guard and small forward positions.  Starting in ten games last season, Spencer was one of the Lions outside threats, making 28 three-pointers while averaging six points per game.  
  
Another returning outside threat on offense is sophomore DeeDee Irwin (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area).  Irwin played in 27 of 29 games last season and led the team with 40 three-point field goals, making 35% of her shots beyond the arc.  The Lions also return sophomore Taylor King (Lorton, Va./Hayfield Academy) who saw action in ten games last season
 


Scouting Kutztown:  Winners of 18 games in 2017-18, the program's most since 2009-10, KU returns 80.1 percent of its scoring and four of its five starters from last season.  KU was selected first in the PSAC Eastern Division's Preseason Poll on Oct. 25, the first time in school history it has earned the top spot. The Golden Bears were also selected ninth in the Preseason D2SIDA Atlantic Region Poll on Oct. 29. 
 
Kutztown will boast an experienced and versatile group headed into this season. The Golden Bears' four returning starters, Rylee Derr Taylor Thames Gabbi Wright and Karen Lapkiewicz, will certainly be looked to for continued production after showing consistent improvement throughout last season. Derr, a second team All-PSAC selection last season, averaged a team-high 13.6 ppg, and is the reigning-PSAC leader in 3-PT Field goals made per game (2.9). As a team, the Golden Bears attempted the second-most three-pointers (675) in the PSAC last season, making the third-most (223).  
 
Thames led KU in assists per game with 2.6 apg and averaged 7.4 ppg as the main ball-handler for the KU attack. Wright will take an increased role in the paint after averaging 6.4 ppg and 3.1 rpg in her sophomore season. Lapkiewicz, Kutztown's do-it-all wing, posted 7.5 ppg, 2.0 apg and 3.4 rpg last year, in what was a breakout sophomore campaign.
 


Scouting Bloomsburg:  The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division according to the league's preseason coaches' poll
 
The Huskies are coming off of a 13-16 record a year ago which included a 10-12 mark against league opponents. Bloomsburg entered the PSAC tournament as the fifth seed in the Eastern Division but saw its season come to an end with a 73-60 setback at Kutztown University in the opening round of the postseason. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak which allowed Bloomsburg to capture a postseason berth for the ninth consecutive season - the last two under head coach Alison Tagliaferri, who enters her third season with the Huskies.

Bloomsburg has the luxury of returning seven players who started at least nine games last season. Included in that list are a pair of All-PSAC Eastern Division Second Team members in senior Alyssa Mack and junior Taylor Montana led the team in scoring last season at 10.6 points per game while also leading the squad in assists with 59. She scored at least 20 points in a game five times. Montana led the team in rebounding (6.1) and was second on the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game. She was also second on the team with 23 blocked shots and led the team in field goal percentage (.530).