JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Maurice Mason made a three with 1.1 seconds left on the clock and came up with a steal on the in-bounds pass to lift the Lincoln men's basketball team to an 82-79 victory over Nebraska Kearney on Saturday (Jan. 27).

Amariontez Ivory scored 33 points and Terrance Smith chipped in 23 to lead the Blue Tigers offensively. Ivory additionally recorded five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Smith, meanwhile, had six boards, two blocks and an assist.

Mason finished his day with six points, hitting a trey early in the first half before breaking one final tie with his three at the end of the game. Mason additionally dished a game-high six assists and had four rebounds while also notching the game-sealing steal.

The game featured eight ties and six lead changes, as Nebraska Kearney (9-11, 5-6 MIAA) clawed back from a 10-point deficit to midway through the first half to cut the LU lead down to 42-38 at halftime. The Lopers later tied the game at 44 early in the second half, and shook off a brief five-point Blue Tiger advantage to take a 56-55 lead with 13:23 to play.

Ivory and John Burton, who finished with four points and a pair of assists, put Lincoln (11-10, 5-7 MIAA) back on top by three, but a trey by the Lopers tied the score back up 59. Three more ties would occur before a trey from Ivory gave Lincoln a lead it would sustain for the next six minutes of the contest. With 47.5 ticks left on the clock, UNK hit its sixth trey of the night to tie the score at 77. UNK shot .538 overall, but just .375 from long distance, while Lincoln shot .580 overall, .391 from three-point range (9-for-23) and .882 at the free throw line.

With 24 seconds to play, Ivory broke the tie by making both shots of a one-and-one, but Nebraska Kearney answered by racing down the court to hit a game-tying layup. That led to Mason's off-balance, fade away three with just over a second to play, followed by clutch steal.

Marquise Williams finished with eight points, six boards, a block and a steal, and Paris Parham came off the bench to provide five points, two rebounds and a steal. Calvin Chambers scored three points while Alexander Nailes represented LU with a rebound.

Saturday was Lincoln's Coaches vs. Cancer and Think Pink game. Blue Tiger players and fans wore pink and coaches wore sneakers to show support for cancer victims and raise awareness. Liz Morrow from the Lincoln University Office of Admissions also gave a powerful and inspiring speech at halftime.

The Blue Tigers will be on the road for their next game, as Lincoln travels to Maryville, Mo. next Thursday (Feb. 1) to play defending national champion Northwest Missouri. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.