JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to take the lead several times, but Emporia State made some big buckets late to escape with a 77-75 win over the Blue Tigers on Saturday (Dec. 16).

Maurice Mason nearly had a double-double, as he accounted for 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds. John Burton and Marquise Williams each scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds, with Burton additionally dishing five assists. Williams, meanwhile, led LU with three blocks.

Lincoln (5-6, 0-3 MIAA) trailed Emporia State (6-5, 2-1 MIAA) 40-30 at halftime, and the Hornets scored the first five points of the second half to extend its advantage to 15. A three-pointer by Burton pushed LU onto a 13-4 run, which was briefly halted by a pair of Hornet free throws. Burton hit another trey, however, to pull the Blue Tigers to within 51-47.

Two more free throws later gave ESU a 58-49 lead, but an old-fashioned three-point play from Williams followed by a pair of buckets by Calvin Chambers and two more makes at the line allowed Lincoln to tie the game. Burton later drained a three to give LU a three-point advantage, but Emporia State scored the next five points to regain the lead. ESU made 15 of its 20 shots at the free throw line and shot .482 for the game while forcing Lincoln into 17 turnovers. The Blue Tigers, meanwhile, shot .578 from the floor, but came away with just 11 takeaways.

The Blue Tigers would re-take the lead two more times, with Chambers making a pair of shots at the charity stripe to put LU ahead, 73-72, with 1:34 remaining. Emporia State made a big three-pointer during its next possession, however, and later made two more free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound to extend its lead to four. Lincoln finished with a 27-26 edge in rebounding, but ESU was more successful on the offensive glass with 10 offensive boards to LU's five.

Williams made a quick layup to pull LU to within two, and then the Blue Tigers forced Emporia State into a turnover to get the ball back with eight seconds remaining. Burton attempted to make a three after getting an inbound pass out of a timeout, but his shot bounced off the rim, and the Hornets grabbed the rebound to secure the victory.

Chambers totaled 14 points and Grant Olsson added eight while Terrance Smith and Amariontez Ivory rounded out the scoring with three points apiece. Smith also grabbed six rebounds and dished three assists while Ivory tallied two rebounds.

Lincoln will be back on its home court on Monday (Dec. 18), hosting Washburn at 7:30 p.m. CST.