JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln women's basketball team mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally to tie the score, but a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining allowed Central Oklahoma to escape with a 66-64 win over the Blue Tigers on Thursday (Jan. 5).

Lincoln (1-11, 0-5 MIAA) trailed, 46-39, entering the final quarter, and at one point faced a 51-41 deficit. A jumper by Erica Gibbons with just over seven minutes remaining sparked the Blue Tigers onto a 14-2 run, culminating with the Blue Tigers taking a 55-53 advantage on a Gibbons layup with five minutes to play. Gibbons led all scorers with 16 points and blocked two shots, recorded a pair of steals and grabbed two rebounds.

Central Oklahoma (12-1, 4-1 MIAA) sank a three to retake the lead, and later hit a pair of layups to go up by five, 60-55. Asia McCaskill drained a trey to pull the Blue Tigers back within two, and, following another UCO layup, Khadijah Ellison made a three to bring Lincoln back within one. McCaskill has 11 points, six rebounds, a block, a steal and an assist while Ellison contributed 12 points, five boards, three assists and a pair of steals.

With just over a minute remaining, the Bronchos made a pair of free throws to regain a three-point advantage. Ellison was then fouled on a successful layup, and made the ensuing shot from the charity stripe to tie the game at 64 with 39 ticks left on the clock. Ellison then forced a steal on the ensuing UCO possession, and was fouled on the other end of the court while attempting a layup. Both shots at the line went off the rim, however, and Lincoln was called for a foul while diving for the rebound to send Central Oklahoma back to the line.

The Bronchos made both shots to take the lead, giving LU one last chance with 1.1 seconds to play. After a called timeout allowed Lincoln to advance the ball to the offensive end of the court, Hunter Yoakum launched a three-point try off the inbound pass, but it clanked off the rim to end the game with the Bronchos on top.

Yoakum led the Blue Tigers with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals and added six points to the Lincoln effort. Azaria Nave added four points, two boards and a pair of assists, and Citlali Lopez provided three points and three rebounds. Tyler Brown-Henderson, meanwhile, scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds, dished a pair of assists and notched a steal.

Shamirah Johnson and Tempary Gunter rounded out the scoring with two points apiece, with Gunter also tallying a rebound and a steal. Jordan Matthews rounded out Lincoln's participation with an offensive rebound.

Lincoln will be back at Jason Gym on Saturday (Jan. 7) to host Northeastern State at 1:30 p.m. CST.