JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Jaylon Smith scored 23 points, Anthony Virdure poured in 12 and O'Shai Clark added 11 as the Lincoln men's basketball team topped Pittsburg State, 68-63, on Saturday (Jan. 23). The contest was Lincoln's Coaches vs. Cancer Pink Out Game, with players, LU staff members, fans and even some of the referees wearing pink to show their support for the fight against cancer.

Smith also grabbed seven rebounds and had two steals to go with a block and an assist as Lincoln held off a late rally by the Gorillas. After trailing for nearly the entire first half, Pittsburg State used a 9-0 run after halftime to tie the score at 36 with 16:35 to play. Smith ended that run by draining a three, and Lincoln scored the next six points of the game to take a 45-36 advantage. This time, however, it was the Gorillas turn to go on a run, as PSU scored nine-straight to knot the score up at 45 with 11:23 remaining.

Lincoln (12-7, 8-5 MIAA) had one more run left in it, however, as a pair of free throws by Lewis jump-started a 15-2 LU run that gave the Blue Tigers the lead for good. Pittsburg State (10-9, 5-8 MIAA) made it exciting, however, storming back to pull within three on a trey with 49 ticks left on the clock. The Blue Tigers missed a three-pointer on their ensuing possession, giving PSU one last chance at a tie with 17 seconds remaining. A three-point shot missed the mark, however, and Aaron Spudich grabbed the rebound and fed it to Lewis, who hit one final layup as time expired.

Lewis did a little bit of everything in the win, scoring eight points while leading all players with seven assists. Lewis also came down with six rebounds and recorded four steals. Virdure finished with four boards, a pair of assists and a steal while Clark provided two rebounds and two assists to the winning effort.

The Blue Tigers won despite shooting just .356 from the floor and .231 from long range. Lincoln did out-rebound the Gorillas, 35-32, including holding an advantage of 12-4 on the offensive glass. LU also forced Pittsburg State into 17 turnovers, coming up with nine steals while giving the ball way just 11 times.

Spudich made three clutch free throws late in the game and tied Smith for the team-high with seven rebounds. Tacourrus Mattox just missed the double-digit point threshold, scoring nine while grabbing five rebounds. Rod Ollison added two points while Alexander Nailes provided an assist. Chase Morfeld also represented LU on the court during the victory.

Up next for Lincoln is a four-game road trip, starting next Thursday (Jan. 28) with the Blue Tigers traveling to Edmond, Okla. for a rematch with Central Oklahoma. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.