MARYVILLE, Mo. - Five members of the Lincoln men's basketball team scored in double figures, but Northwest Missouri, ranked No. 2 in the country, held off the Blue Tigers, 85-78, on Thursday (Dec. 6).

Terrance Smith recorded his third-straight double-double, leading Lincoln (4-3, 0-1 MIAA) with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Amariontez Ivory added 16 points, three assists and a pair of steals to the Blue Tiger cause, and Ni'Sean Rigmaiden contributed 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.

The Blue Tigers played the Bearcats fairly evenly in the first half, with a late trey allowing Northwest Missouri (9-0, 1-0 MIAA) to take a 40-37 lead at the break. NWMSU shot .509 from the floor for the contest, and Lincoln shot .482, while LU shot .444 from long range while the Bearcats shot .400. Both teams were .800 at the line.

The Bearcats began to pull away early in the second half, using a 17-3 run to go up, 59-44, with 10 minutes to play. NWMSU led by double figures for much of the half, but a Rigmaiden free throw followed by treys from Smith and Ivory allowed LU to cut the deficit down to five with just under three minutes remaining. Lincoln would eventually cut the lead down to four in the final minutes, but the Bearcats held off the Blue Tiger rally.

Jonell Burton and Grant Olsson rounded out Lincoln's double-digit scorers with 11 points apiece, with Jonell Burton adding four blocks and three boards. Olsson, meanwhile, added four rebounds and a pair of steals. John Burton came off the bench to provide six points and a pair of assists while L'Kielynn Taylor registered two rebounds and a block.

Lincoln is next in action on Saturday (Dec. 8) as the Blue Tigers travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to play Missouri Western at 4:00 p.m. CST.