QUINCY, Ill. - The Lincoln men's basketball team made five free throws in the final minutes to clinch a 73-69 victory over McKendree in the QU Subway Holiday Classic on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 16).

Amariontez Ivory scored a team-high 22 points and dished two assists while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, five assists, four steals, three boards and a block to help Lincoln improve to 7-3 on the season with a third-straight victory. Grant Olsson added 12 points and four rebounds, and Jonell Burton finished with 10 points, two assists and a pair of steals.

McKendree (4-6) out-gained the Blue Tigers in rebounds (32-26) and shot .481 from the floor, but Lincoln, which shot .509 overall, generated nine turnovers compared to just five giveaways. L'Kielynn Taylor gave LU a boost on the glass, grabbing nine rebounds to go with nine points as well as tallying one of Lincoln's seven steals.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the two teams swapping the lead until Lincoln pushed through for a six-point, 51-45 advantage at halftime. Lincoln led by 17 with 11:37 to play, McKendree rallied with an 18-2 run to cut the deficit down to 68-67 with just under two minutes remaining, but LU went 5-for-6 at the line to hold on for the victory.

Terrance Smith and Darrius Spencer each finished with two points, with Smith also grabbing a rebound. John Burton, meanwhile, contributed a rebound and an assist to the Blue Tiger cause.

Lincoln will close out the 2018 calendar year on Sunday, Dec. 30 when the Blue Tigers host Culver-Stockton in Jason Gym at 2:00 p.m. CST.