JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Southern shot .517 from the floor over the final 20 minutes to break a halftime tie and hand the Lincoln men's basketball team a 91-82 loss in its league opener on Thursday night (Dec. 8).

Lincoln (6-3, 0-1 MIAA) shot .473 from the floor for the game but was just 19-for-30 from the free throw line while Missouri Southern (7-2, 3-0 MIAA) shot .926 from the charity stripe. The Lions out-rebounded Lincoln, 41-31, but committed 17 turnovers compared to 15 by the Blue Tigers. Lincoln recorded 11 steals, but the Lions blocked five shots and shot .476 from beyond the arc.

The Blue Tigers scored the first four points of the game and held a 39-33 lead with 3:45 to play in the first half. Lincoln had a chance to add to that lead, but missed a pair of free throws, and a jumper sprung the Lions to a 9-0 run, giving MSSU a 41-39 lead with 30 seconds until the intermission. Jaylon Smith, who scored 18 points to go with five rebounds, five steals and two assists, made jumper inside the paint to send the game into the break tied at 41.

Tacourrus Mattox opened the scoring in the second half with a dunk, and Smith made a layup to put the Blue Tigers ahead by four. That ended up being the largest lead of the second half for LU, however, as Missouri Southern went on a 28-10 run to take control of the game. The Blue Tigers ultimately closed the gap to 75-67 with just over five minutes remaining, and had an opportunity to pull within five, but a missed three-pointer followed by a layup on MSSU's ensuing possession pushed the Lions' lead back into double-digits.

Anthony Virdure led Lincoln with 25 points and six assists, and he also tallied three boards and a steal. Mattox and Maurice Mason each tied for the team-high with six rebounds apiece, with Mattox adding 12 points and Mason tallying 10 to go with two assists and a pair of steals.

O'Shai Clark and Chase Morfeld each chipped in six points, with Clark additionally registering four rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals. Rod Ollison added three points and a rebound while Richie Lewis closed out the scoring with two points, two boards, two assists and a steal. Darrius Spencer provided a pair of rebounds for the Blue Tigers.

Lincoln will be back at home on Saturday (Dec. 10), as the Blue Tigers host Pittsburg State in a 3:30 p.m. CST showdown.