JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Southern hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, then edged the Lincoln women's basketball team, 81-78, on Saturday (Jan. 5).

Zoi Thompson, who dished six assists and grabbed four rebounds, led Lincoln with 27 points. Tempary Gunter made four treys and was next on the scoring chart with 18 points, and Zhanesha Dickerson added 15 points, eight boards, two assists, a block and a steal.

Lincoln (9-4, 1-3 MIAA) opened the game on a 14-4 run, but Missouri Southern (10-4, 2-2 MIAA) rallied to cut the deficit down to 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Lions tied the score up three times in the second, but Gunter made a three just before time expired to put the Blue Tigers back ahead, 30-27, at halftime.

After Missouri Southern took a 55-52 lead at the end of the third, Gunter hit a three to open the fourth, and LU eventually took a 64-62 lead on a Bre Coleman layup. MSSU tied the score back up on the ensuing possession, but Kaloni Pryear made a quick bucket for LU to put the Blue Tigers back up by two with just under four minutes to play.

Thompson made a free throw to extend the lead to three with just under a minute remaining, but a pair of MSSU free throws cut the deficit down to 67-66. With about 30 seconds left, Dickerson hit a layup to swing the lead back to three, but Missouri Southern hit the three near the end of the period, and a missed jumper by LU resulted in five extra minutes of play.

In the overtime period, the teams traded free throws before a jumper gave MSSU a one-point advantage. Dickerson made a shot at the charity stripe to pull LU within one, and Gunter made a layup with three minutes remaining to give Lincoln back the lead. A free throw followed by a trey from MSSU gave the Lions back the advantage, but Dickerson hit a trey to tie the game at 77. Lincoln shot .438 from beyond the arc and .443 overall.

A layup with 46 seconds to play gave MSSU the lead once again, and Thompson went one-for-two at the line to keep MSSU ahead. The Lions made a pair of free throws at the line with 15 seconds remaining, and a Lincoln three-point attempt ended up being rebounded by MSSU. Alecia Gulledge, who had nine rebounds and four steals, forced a takeaway to give LU one last chance, but an off-balance trey missed the target, allowing Missouri Southern to escape with the win.

Coleman had a double-double, finishing with 11 points, 14 boards, a block and an assist. Pryear added six points and three assists, and Shannyn Triplett made a free throw to close out the scoring.

Lincoln will be off until next Saturday (Jan. 12) when the Blue Tigers travel to St. Charles, Mo. to play Lindenwood in a 1:30 p.m. CST showdown.