ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team started out hot on Saturday (Feb. 6), but a big Missouri Western run late in the first half helped propel the Griffons to a 76-68 win over the Blue Tigers.

Four Blue Tigers scored in double figures, with Anthony Virdure leading the way with 22 points. Virdure also grabbed four rebounds, dished three assists to go with a block and a steal, and had zero turnovers despite playing 36 minutes. Richie Lewis was second on the scoring chart with 15 points and three rebounds. Lewis also tallied two steals, a pair of assists and a block.

Jaylon Smith started the game very strong, hitting three treys in the contest's first five minutes, and ended the night with 14 points. Smith also had four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Tacourrus Mattox, meanwhile, came one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 10 points, nine boards, an assist and a block.

Smith's hot shooting from beyond the arc helped Lincoln take an 18-6 lead by the first media timeout. A three-pointer by Missouri Western started to turn the tide, and the Griffons ended up going on a 26-10 run late in the half. The Griffons ended up going ahead, 41-33, at halftime.

Missouri Western shot the ball well in the second half, eventually building a 21-point, 65-44 lead with 8:25, remaining, but the Blue Tigers began a run of their own. An old-fashioned three-point play by Virdure began a big Blue Tiger comeback bid, as Lincoln out-scored the Griffons, 24-8, to pull within five points, 73-68, with 32 seconds remaining. Lincoln was forced to foul from that point on, and Missouri Western went 3-for-4 at the line to seal its win.

O'Shai Clark added five points and five rebounds to the Lincoln effort while Aaron Spudich rounded out the scoring with two points and a rebound. Rod Ollison finished with four boards, two assists and a pair of steals while Chase Morfeld had a rebound.

Lincoln closed a four-game road trip on Saturday, and will return home to host Emporia State in seven days. The Blue Tigers will play the Hornets in Jason Gym next Saturday (Feb. 13) at 3:30 p.m. CST.