WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Lincoln women's basketball team had a strong second half, but Central Missouri snapped LU's two-game win streak by handing the Blue Tigers a 71-60 loss on Thursday evening (Feb. 16).

Khadijah Ellison led LU with 20 points and six steals while pulling down five rebounds and tallying a block and an assist. Hunter Yoakum also scored in double figures, tallying 17 points and an assist. Tempary Gunter was next on the scoring list with eight points, five boards and a team-high three assists.

Central Missouri (20-4, 13-3 MIAA) entered the game ranked No. 16 in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll, and looked the part early. The Jennies out-scored Lincoln (5-19, 4-13 MIAA), 23-6, in the first period en route to taking a 41-18 halftime lead.

Lincoln came alive in the second half, out-scoring the Jennies, 42-30, while shooting .471 from the floor. For the game, LU shot .397 overall compared to .385 shooting by Central Missouri. UCM won the rebounding battle, 48-36, but finished with two more turnovers (15) than the Blue Tigers (13).

Tyler Brown-Henderson totaled six points, five boards, a steal and an assist while Shamirah Johnson chipped in four points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Azaria Nave also scored four points and pulled down five boards while recording a pair of assists and a steal.

Kailey Foster made a free throw to round out the scoring for LU. Citlali Lopez contributed four rebounds, a pair of steals and an assist. Jordan Matthews, meanwhile, had a rebound.

After playing three games in six days, Lincoln will now have a week off to prepare for its next contest. The Blue Tigers will travel to St. Joseph, Mo. next Thursday (Feb. 23) for a 5:30 p.m. CST game against Missouri Western.