JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Western forced Lincoln into 25 turnovers and out-scored the Blue Tigers, 50-27, in the second half to hand the LU women's basketball team an 85-62 loss on Sunday (Dec. 20).

The game was closely contested throughout the first half, with Lincoln holding a 19-17 advantage after the first quarter. Azaria Nave hit back-to-back threes to give LU an early 8-4 cushion, and Asia McCaskill made a layup to put the Blue Tigers up by six. Missouri Western stormed back to tie the game at 10, and the teams went back and forth before a trey from Dorian Briggs and a layup by Jasmine Guthrie gave Lincoln the lead at the end of the period.

The Blue Tigers led by as many as eight in the second quarter, and held a 31-25 lead after Nave hit a pair of free throws with 5:17 to play until halftime. Nave finished the game with a career-high 17 points and dished three assists while grabbing three rebounds. Missouri Western ended up closing the quarter on a 10-4 run, making a layup in the final minute to send the game into halftime tied at 35.

Lincoln shot .452 from the floor in the first half and held a 22-14 edge in rebounding. The second half, however, was a different story as the Griffons tightened up defensively, holding the Blue Tigers to .333 shooting and just one made trey. Missouri Western, meanwhile, shot .600 from the floor and used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead for good. MWSU ended the game with 16 steals and turned the ball over just nine times.

Zuri Hill led Lincoln with 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to go with two assists. Lizzie Nessling scored 11, dropped two dimes and finished with a team-high eight rebounds while Briggs tallied five points, five boards, an assist and a steal. McCaskill scored six points and pulled down four rebounds while Guthrie and Hunter Yoakum each finished with two points apiece. Guthrie also contributed three rebounds while Yoakum had two and a pair of assists. Sarah Neptune led LU with four assists on the afternoon.

Lincoln falls to 6-5 overall and 2-3 in MIAA play with the loss. Missouri Western, which was ranked No. 16 in the country according to the WBCA/USA Today Division II Coaches Poll, improves to 11-0 on the year and 6-0 against conference opponents.

The Blue Tigers will return to action on Jan. 2, as Lincoln travels to Emporia, Kan. to play Emporia State at 1:30 p.m. CST.