JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - It was a one-point game with 4:34 remaining, but Nebraska Kearney held off the Lincoln women's basketball team to beat the Blue Tigers, 72-58, on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27).

Facing a nine-point deficit at halftime, the Blue Tigers used an old-fashioned three-point play by Davenport Brantley and a modern three by Amber Braxton to make it a 37-34 contest halfway through the third quarter. After a jumper by UNK, Faith Brintle and Bre Coleman made layups to pull LU within one.

Nebraska Kearney (16-3, 8-3 MIAA), which scored 18 points off of 15 Lincoln turnovers, forced LU to give the ball away on seven-straight possessions, and ended up with a 52-42 lead entering the final period. Lincoln (3-17, 0-12 MIAA) wasn't about to quit, however, as Charnai Anderson opened the final period by draining a three. Anderson came off the bench to lead Lincoln with 11 points.

The Blue Tigers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to cut the UNK lead down to 52-50 with 7:35 remaining. A Loper three swung the LU deficit back to five, but Lajanea Kimbrough made a jumper and Anderson later hit another three to put Lincoln back within two. After Nebraska Kearney made another basket to go ahead by four, Brintle drained a three on Lincoln's ensuing possession to cut the UNK lead down to 59-58.

That ended up being the final basket of the night for Lincoln, however, as the Lopers used a strong defensive effort over the final 4:34 to secure the win. UNK shot .426 from the floor while holding LU to .375 shooting, and finished with a 40-32 edge in rebounding.

Brintle ended her day with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Coleman grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and scored eight. Braxton scored nine points and pulled down three rebounds, while Kimbrough provided seven points, four boards and a pair of assists. Brantley added five points and three assists to the Blue Tiger cause and Kailey Foster and Citlali Lopez each finished with four points, with Foster also grabbing three boards and tallying a steal.

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 Northwest Missouri. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CST.