JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Azaria Nave nearly had a double-double, scoring 19 while grabbing eight rebounds, but the Lincoln women's basketball team lost to Fort Hays State, 68-41, on Saturday (Jan. 9).

Nave also dished two assists and had a pair of steals, while Dorian Briggs dropped three dimes to go with four points and three rebounds. Zuri Hill grabbed seven boards to go with a made layup while Hunter Yoakum finished second on the scoring chart with seven points and a pair of rebounds.

Fort Hays State (14-1, 8-1 MIAA) entered the contest ranked No. 3 in the WBCA/USA Today Division II Coaches Poll, marking the third ranked opponent Lincoln (6-9, 2-7 MIAA) has faced in its last five games. FHSU defensively held the Blue Tigers to .261 shooting from the floor and .290 from three-point range while finishing with a 43-39 edge in rebounding.

FHSU out-scored LU, 21-8, in the first quarter, and took a 40-17 lead into hafltime. The Blue Tigers tightened up defensively in the second half, scoring the first six points of the third quarter while holding FHSU without a field goal for nearly four minutes. LU held Fort Hays State to just 28 points through the final two periods, including just 10 points in the final quarter.

Lizzie Nessling pulled down four rebounds and scored two points while recording a block. Naomi Bryant finished with five points and two boards while Narel dos Santos rounded out Lincoln's scoring with two points. Jasmine Guthrie tallied three rebounds and a steal while Tempary Gunter had a rebound and Sarah Neptune contributed two boards and a pair of assists.

The Blue Tigers return to the road for their next two games, starting on Thursday (Jan. 9) with a 5:30 p.m. CST tip at Southwest Baptist.