JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Southwest Baptist held off a late comeback bid by the Lincoln women's basketball team to hand the Blue Tigers a 65-57 loss on Wednesday night (Feb. 24).

After a closely contested first quarter that ended with a 10-10 tie, Southwest Baptist (15-12, 10-11 MIAA) out-scored Lincoln (8-19, 4-17 MIAA), 20-17, in the second period to take a three-point lead at halftime. Lincoln out-rebounded SBU, 20-13, in the game's first 20 minutes and shot .407 from the floor while the Bearcats shot .429.

A pair of free throws by Dorian Briggs made the score 34-31 in favor of Southwest Baptist at the 8:48 mark of the third quarter, but the Bearcats answered with an 11-2 run to push their lead to 12 with five minutes left in the period. Back-to-back layups by Zuri Hill got the LU comeback started, and a jumper by Lizzie Nessling pulled LU to within six, but SBU closed the quarter with a late layup to lead 49-41 through three periods.

Southwest Baptist regained a 10-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, but a trey by Hunter Yoakum sparked LU on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit down to 55-51 with 5:55 to play. The Bearcats ended the run with a three-pointer, but were called for a flagrant foul on the ensuing possession. Azaria Nave made both her shots at the line, then Asia McCaskill attempted to sink a trey that would have pulled the Blue Tigers to within two. The shot ricocheted off the rim, however, and SBU scored four quick points to regain the momentum. SBU would would eventually lead by 10 before Hill closed the game with a layup to make it an eight-point contest.

Hill nearly had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds to go with a block and a pair of steals. Briggs led LU with 13 points and grabbed six boards to go with three assists, a block and a steal. Yoakum also scored in double figures, totaling 12 points and a pair of assists.

Jasmine Guthrie finished second on the rebounding chart with seven boards and added four points, a block and a steal. Sarah Neptune, meanwhile, led the Blue Tigers with six assists and contributed five points, two boards and a steal. McCaskill also had a steal and tallied three points and three rebounds as well as a pair of assists.

Nave ended her night with four points and an assist while Nessling added her two boards and a steal to her jumper. Naomi Bryant closed out the scoring with a made layup and also pulled down a rebound.

The Blue Tigers will close the 2015-16 regular season on Saturday (Feb. 27) when Lincoln hosts Lindenwood at 1:30 p.m. CST. It will be Senior Day, with six Blue Tigers playing for the final time in Jason Gym. It will also be Alumni Weekend, with all former LU basketball players receiving free admission to the game. Lincoln's Student Athlete Advisory Committee will also be hosting a fundraiser, as LU students will be able to get into the game by either bringing two canned food items to donate to the Salvation Army or a dollar to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.