LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania women's basketball program will look to halt a minor two-game skid and keep its home dominance alive (8-1, 88.9%) as it hosts Play 4 Kay night versus Virginia Union.
 
What You Need to Know:
 

• Time and Date: Thursday, February 9, 2023 (5:30 p.m.)

 

• Video: https://theciaasn.com/lincoln/ (CIAA Sports Network)

 

• Audio: N/A

 

• Live Stats: https://lulions.com/sidearmstats/wbball/media

 

• Tickets: https://bit.ly/LULionsTickets

 

• Records: Lincoln-PA (15-7, 9-3 CIAA) | Virginia Union (12-12, 4-8 CIAA)

 

• Location: Lincoln University, Pennsylvania – Manuel Rivero Gymnasium

 

• Last Meeting: January 18, 2023 | Lincoln (PA) 52, Virginia Union 51 | Richmond Virginia (Barco-Stevens Hall)

 

• Winning Streak: Lincoln-PA (W3) | Virginia Union's Last Win: February 15, 2020 (62-47)

 
Lincoln (PA) Overview:
 
The ladies from Lincoln dropped one spot down to #7 in the Atlantic Regional rankings but still sit just one game back of Fayetteville State for the top seed in the CIAA Tournament, holding the tiebreaker with a head-to-head 58-47 victory back on January 5.
 
The Orange and Blue are the best three-point shooting squad in the CIAA, averaging 5.7 makes from deep while also scoring the most points on average at 69.3 per game. LU has the seventh-best offensive rebounding game in the country at 16.8, holds a top-35 rebounds a night mark of 41.35 (leads CIAA), and sports a top-50 +4.7 rebound margin as well.
 
Head Coach Janice Washington's crew is a well-balanced unit that does not have to be carried by a single player and there have been numerous instances where unsung heroes have risen to the occasion to make the biggest plays.
 
Anyssa Fields (Long Branch, N.J./Long Branch) would probably best fit the description of "star of the team", fronting the Lions in field goal percentage (43.9%), three-pointers (38), scoring (15.5) and rebounds per game (8.0) with 37 assists, 35 steals, and six blocks to boot.

If Fields is the squad's Batman then Kania Pollock (Queens, N.Y./The Mary Louis Academy) is her Robin, slotting right behind her in points (14.2) and rebounds (5.2) while sitting on top of the team leaderboard regarding steals (40).
 
Jaleesa Lanier (Easton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) is the club's assist specialist with 58 dimes on the year and Maya Madison Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin), who won the previous matchup with the Panthers on a last-second layup, has nearly as many blocks by herself (17) than the rest of the team combined (20).
 
Scouting the Virginia Union Panthers:
 
Despite its pedestrian record of 12-12 (4-8 CIAA), the Panthers have turned up the heat of late, winning three of its last four while almost toppling the Lions the last time around.
 
The women from Richmond have done a good job limiting turnovers (17.3), containing the glass (41.13 rebounds, +5.8 margin), knocking down its free throws (70.2%), and blocking shots (3.9), ranking as the runner-up in the CIAA for all four stats.
 
Ny Langley has been a double-double machine for the Black and Maroon, posting a conference-best 11 outings (15th in NCAA) while averaging 16 points (3rd in CIAA) and 9.9 rebounds (21st in NCAA).
 
Taniah Johnson has been the long-range weapon for the Panthers with 36 triples (7th in CIAA) and Naeva Rene has been the finisher in the paint with 27 blocks (2nd in CIAA).