KEARNEY, Neb. - The Lincoln women's basketball team held a five-point lead at halftime, but Nebraska Kearney rallied in the second half to beat the Blue Tigers, 70-58, on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 28).

Azaria Nave scored a team-high 17 points, including 14 in the first half to pace LU to a 40-35 lead. Nave, who also pulled down four rebounds and dished an assist, hit four treys in the first two quarters as the Blue Tigers shot .517 from the floor. Lincoln (3-16, 2-10 MIAA) out-scored Nebraska Kearney (7-12, 3-8 MIAA), 23-14, in the second half to take the lead at the intermission.

The Lopers bounced back in the third quarter, however, holding the Blue Tigers to just seven points as UNK rallied to take the lead for good. Lincoln was held to just four field goals over the final two quarters while Nebraska Kearney shot .400 from beyond the arc. For the game, UNK held a 47-37 edge in rebounding, though LU held a 12-14 advantage in turnovers.

Khadijah Ellison scored 15 points and led LU with seven rebounds to go with three steals and a pair of assists. Erica Gibbons was next on the scoring chart with 12 points, two boards and a pair of blocks, followed by Asia McCaskill with five points and two rebounds. Hunter Yoakum dished a team-high five assists and scored four points while tallying three boards, a pair of steals and a block.

Tyler Brown-Henderson contributed three points, two rebounds and an assist the the Lincoln cause, while Tempary Gunter and Kailey Foster each had one assist apiece. Gunter additionally grabbed two rebounds. Citlali Lopez finished with three boards while Shamirah Johnson closed out the scoring with two points, six rebounds and a block.

Lincoln returns to Jason Gym on Thursday (Feb. 2) to host Northwest Missouri at 5:30 p.m. CST.