TOPEKA, Kan. - The Lincoln men's basketball team had a chance to win, but a three-point attempt bounced off the rim as Washburn held on for an 86-84 overtime win on Monday (Jan. 4). Anthony Virdure led three Blue Tigers in double figures with 31 points while Jaylon Smith added 26 and O'Shai Clark scored 19.

Lincoln (9-4, 5-2 MIAA) also had an opportunity to win the game in regulation. Washburn (9-3, 5-2 MIAA) rallied from three down, making a free throw and a layup on back-to-back possessions. Lincoln took over with six seconds remaining, and had two chances at getting the win. A jumper from Virdure went off the rim, however, and Tacourrus Mattox was not able to put the ball in after grabbing the offensive board, sending the game into extra minutes with the score knotted at 75.

Both teams shot well throughout the night, with Lincoln shooting .463 from the floor and .467 from three-point range while Washburn was .458 from the field and .429 from long range. Both teams were also over .500 from long distance in the first half, with the Ichabods going into the break with a slim 42-41 lead.

The Ichabods took a 53-45 lead early in the second half, but back-to-back threes from Clark sparked Lincoln onto a 20-4 run, giving LU a 65-57 lead with nine minutes remaining. Washburn stormed back to tie the game at 68 by the final media timeout, but Smith hit a trey, one of 14 on the night by the Blue Tigers, to give Lincoln back the lead. LU would lead by as many as five during the final three minutes of regulation, but Washburn was able to force another tie, and Lincoln entered its first overtime period since Jan. 29, 2015.

Virdure took over in overtime, scoring all nine of LU's points. Washburn scored the first four points during the extra time, but Virdure hit a long three to pull Lincoln to within 79-78. After a pair of free throws by the Ichabods, Virdure, who went 7-for-10 from long range, hit another three to tie the game at 81. The Ichabods went up by four with 38 seconds remaining, but yet another trey by Virdure pulled Lincoln to within once again. Washburn, which was 23-for-35 from the line, went 1-and-1 at the line, setting Lincoln up for its potential game-winning shot.

In addition to his team-high point total, Virdure dished five assists, tallied two steals and grabbed two rebounds. Smith led LU with seven rebounds and dropped four dimes while blocking a shot and registering a steal while Clark finished with six rebounds and a takeaway.

Richie Lewis recorded a game-high eight assists and led LU with three steals while grabbing three boards and scoring on a pair of free throws. Aaron Spudich also had two points to go with four rebounds and a block while Tacourrus Mattox pulled down six rebounds and rounded out the scoring with four points.

Lincoln, which is 6-0 at Jason Gym this season, will head back to Jefferson City for its next two games, starting on Thursday night (Jan. 7). The Blue Tigers will host Nebraska-Kearney at 7:30 p.m. CST that evening, which will be Throwback Thursday, with all senior citizens getting into the game for free.