JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Four Blue Tigers scored in double figures as the Lincoln men's basketball team defeated Missouri Western, 82-67, on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 20) for its fourth-straight win.

Lincoln led for most of the game, but Missouri Western (3-9, 1-5 MIAA) fought back to tie the contest at 62 with 8:18 remaining. From that point forward, Lincoln's defense nearly pitched a shutout, holding the Griffons to only one made field goal and a pair of free throws the rest of the way. A jumper by Jaylon Smith, who finished the game with 31 points, sent the Blue Tigers on a game-sealing 18-0 run, as Lincoln improved to 8-3 overall and 4-1 in MIAA play. In addition to his game-high point total, Smith also blocked three shots, recorded a pair of steals and came down with three rebounds.

Anthony Virdure had another big game, scoring 15 while dishing five assists, grabbing three rebounds and tallying a steal. 12 of those points came in the first half, as Virdure helped Lincoln fight back from a five-point deficit with 7:14 remaining by scoring four points on a 9-1 run. The Blue Tigers ended up taking a 41-38 lead into halftime.

Richie Lewis nearly had a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds to go with an assist and a steal. O'Shai Clark added 11 points, three rebounds and two steals to the Blue Tiger cause while Tacourrus Mattox rounded out the scoring with eight points, two boards and a pair of blocks. Aaron Spudich finished second on the team with eight rebounds and tallied two assists in 13 minutes of work.

Rod Ollison provided two rebounds for the Blue Tigers while Chase Morfeld, DeAnthony Wilson and Jeremy Jackson each finished with one apiece. Darrius Spencer and Alexander Nailes also represented LU on Sunday.

Lincoln's current four-game win streak is the program's longest since 2004-05, and the eight wins this season are the most by a Blue Tiger team since 2005-06. Lincoln also now has four MIAA wins, its most in a campaign since 2011-12, which was also the last time LU beat Missouri Western. Lincoln's win on Sunday, combined with a loss by Northwest Missouri to Lindenwood, has the Blue Tigers in a tie for second place in the MIAA standings.

The Blue Tigers will now have nearly two weeks to prepare for their next test, as Lincoln opens the calendar year at Emporia State on Jan. 2. Tip-off for that game is set for 3:30 p.m. CST.