JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Anthony Virdure scored a career-high 32 points, but the Lincoln men's basketball team dropped its first home game of the season, 87-73, to Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday (Jan. 7).

Virdure nearly had a double-double, as he grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while dishing two assists and blocking two shots. Rod Ollison was Lincoln's next-leading scorer, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and a block. Jaylon Smith also had a block and finished with nine points, two boards and an assist.

Nebraska-Kearney (8-5, 5-3 MIAA) opened the game on a 6-2 run, but Lincoln (9-5, 5-4 MIAA) fought back to tie the score at nine after Smith hit three free throws after being fouled on a long-distance attempt. UNK scored the next five points, taking a lead it would end up holding for the rest of the game. The Lopers led by as many as 12 in the first half, and built a double-digit lead five times before the Blue Tigers used an 11-2 run at the end of the half to cut the UNK advantage down to 40-37 at the break.

A trey by Virdure, one of just two on the night by the Blue Tigers, cut the Loper lead down to 48-46 with 16 minutes left in the game, but that was as close as Lincoln would come to tying the score. The Lopers, who made nine treys on the evening, hit a three on the ensuing possession to re-take a five-point lead, and led by double-digits for most of the second half. The Blue Tigers cut a 13-point UNK lead down to eight on an old-fashioned three-point play by Virdure with 3:29 to play, but Nebraska-Kearney closed the game on a 10-4 run to hold on for the win.

The Blue Tigers blocked eight shots on the night, with Tacourrus Mattox accounting for three of those rejections, and won the turnover battle, 8-13. Nebraska-Kearney finished with a 33-28 edge in rebounding, however, and shot .474 from three while holding the Blue Tigers to .125 shooting from long range. UNK made 27 of its 54 field goal attempts (.500) while Lincoln shot .444 from the floor.

O'Shai Clark chipped in nine points and had all of four of LU's steals while Mattox finished his evening with six points. Aaron Spudich had four points, four boards and a block while Richie Lewis rounded out the scoring with three points, two rebounds and a pair of assists.

The Blue Tigers, who had won their first six home games of the year, will try to start a new winning streak on Saturday (Jan. 9) when Lincoln hosts Fort Hays State for a 3:30 p.m. CST contest. That game will be Civic Engagement Day, with all members of local civic organizations receiving free admission to the contests while their guests will be able to purchase discounted $3 tickets.