JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln women's basketball team had a chance to force overtime, but a buzzer-beating three-point attempt by Shamirah Johnson fell short, allowing Missouri-St. Louis to escape with a 54-51 win over the Blue Tigers on Friday (Nov. 18).

A three-pointer early in the fourth quarter gave UMSL the lead, and the Tritons ultimately extended that to a 47-37 advantage with a 12-0 run. A jumper by Erica Gibbons with just under four minutes remaining began a Lincoln comeback, however, and Azaria Nave later drained a three to pull LU to within 50-44 of the Tritons with just under two minutes to play. Nave finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals while Gibbons tallied six points and three blocks.

Missouri-St. Louis (2-1) was sent to the line on its next possession, but made just one free throw, and Nave hit a jumper to pull LU to within five. Nave, who ended up scoring Lincoln's (0-3) final 10 points, later made another jumper and a trey to cut the UMSL lead down to 54-51. Lincoln fouled with 11 seconds to play, and the Tritons missed both shots, giving LU one last chance at a tying three.

The game was a defensive tussle, with UMSL holding just a 26-21 lead at halftime. Hunter Yoakum sparked Lincoln's comeback, draining a pair of threes for the first six points of the second half and a one-point LU lead. It turned into a back-and-forth contest afterwards, with the Tritons taking a 33-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Lincoln's last lead came with 8:11 remaining, as Tyler Brown-Henderson hit a pair of free throws to put the Blue Tigers ahead, 37-35.

Yoakum led Lincoln with 16 points and tallied two boards, a block, a steal and an assist. Brown-Henderson, meanwhile, finished one board shy of a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Johnson rounded out the scoring with three points and a pair of assists. Citlali Lopez added a pair of assists while Tempary Gunter pulled down two rebounds.

Lincoln shot .392 for the game and held the Tritons to .273 shooting. UMSL finished with a dominant, 55-24 advantage in rebounds, however, including posting a 27-2 edge on the offensive glass. LU turned the ball over 12 times but forced 17 takeaways and also blocked four shots.

The Blue Tigers will remain at home on Monday (Nov. 21) to host Stephens College at 7:00 p.m. CST.