JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Pittsburg State made 18 three-pointers, accounting for all but 29 of its points, to beat the Lincoln women's basketball team, 83-52, on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 10).

The Blue Tigers entered the game with the MIAA's second-best three-point defense, but the Gorillas shot .529 from long range and finished with a 42-31 advantage in rebounding. Both teams turned the ball over 20 times, with Lincoln generating nine steals, but Pittsburg State (11-0, 4-0 MIAA), which entered the game ranked No. 4 in the country, shot .470 from the floor to earn the win.

Hunter Yoakum opened the scoring with a three-pointer off a steal by Shamirah Johnson, and in the process moved into fourth place on Lincoln's all-time scoring chart. Yoakum, who concluded the game with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, now has 996 points in her LU career. She will likely become the Blue Tigers' fourth 1,000-point scorer in Lincoln's next contest.

Pittsburg State answered Yoakum's three with a 10-2 run, but a layup by Tyler Brown-Henderson would pull the Blue Tigers back within two with 5:42 left in the opening quarter. A layup from Yoakum later pulled Lincoln (1-7, 0-2 MIAA) within 15-12 of the Gorillas, but Pittsburg State ended the period on an 8-0 run to take a 23-12 lead through 10 minutes. The Gorillas then held the Blue Tigers to 10 points in the second quarter to take a 43-22 lead into halftime, and kept LU from coming any closer than within 14 points the rest of the way.

Erica Gibbons had her first 20-point performance as a Blue Tiger, scoring 21 points to go with 14 rebounds and two steals. Azaria Nave added 12 points, five boards, three assists and a pair of steals while Citlali Lopez scored two points and pulled down two rebounds. Brown-Henderson scored four points and grabbed three rebounds. Tempary Gunter and Jordan Matthews each had a rebound, with Gunter also dishing an assist, and Johnson finished with one rebound, one assist and a steal. Khadijah Ellison, in her Blue Tiger debut, made a pair of free throws, recorded a rebound and dished an assist.

Lincoln will be back in action next Saturday (Dec. 17) as the Blue Tigers travel to Emporia, Kan. to play Emporia State at 5:30 p.m. CST.