KEARNEY, Neb. - Nebraska Kearney took advantage of hot shooting and a lot of opportunities at the line to hand the Lincoln men's basketball team a 102-90 loss on Saturday (Jan. 28).

Both teams shot well, with Lincoln (13-8, 6-6 MIAA) shooting .559 from the floor while Nebraska Kearney (14-6, 7-4 MIAA) shot .580. The difference came at the free throw line, as Nebraska Kearney made 36 of its 38 attempts at the free throw line. By contrast, Lincoln was sent to the line 16 times, making 11 free throws.

Jaylon Smith scored 19 points in the first half to lead Lincoln to a 46-42 lead at the break. Anthony Virdure led the Blue Tigers with 34 points and six assists to go with four rebounds and a steal. Maurice Mason also scored in double figures, finishing with 16 points, three boards and three assists.

Both teams grabbed 25 rebounds, but the Lopers finished with one fewer turnover (11) than the Blue Tigers (12). LU shot .591 from beyond the arc, draining 13 treys, and held UNK to just eight made three-pointers in 21 attempts.

Tacourrus Mattox had a team-best seven rebounds and scored eight points while Richie Lewis finished with six points, five boards, four assists, a block and a steal. Chase Morfeld contributed five points while Kevin Bolen and O'Shai Clark each tallied three points, two rebounds and an assist.

Lincoln will return home to host Northwest Missouri, which entered the weekend undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country, on Thursday night (Feb. 2). Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.