KEARNEY, Neb. - The Lincoln men's basketball team had the lead at halftime, but a big second half allowed Nebraska Kearney to slip past the Blue Tigers, 75-67, on Thursday evening (Feb. 14).

Terrance Smith led all scorers with 30 points and grabbed five rebounds to go with a pair of assists, a block and a steal. Jonell Burton added 14 points, five boards and four steals, while Amariontez Ivory scored 10 points, pulled down three rebounds and dished a pair of assists.

A trey by Smith sprung Lincoln (16-7, 9-5 MIAA) onto a 15-4 run and a 24-16 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the opening half, and a layup by Smith later pushed LU's lead to nine. Lincoln would end up leading, 32-27, at the break.

The second half was a different story, however, as Nebraska Kearney (9-14, 4-10 MIAA) opened the period on an 11-3 run to take the lead. Jonell Burton later tied the score at 45 on a layup with just over 10 minutes to play, but UNK, which shot .484 during the second half after going .344 from the floor in the first half, hit back-to-back treys to take the lead for good.

Jonell Burton scored Lincoln's final four points of the night in the final minute, pulling the Blue Tigers to within 71-67, but UNK hit four free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Lincoln shot .553 overall and .350 from long distance, but just .571 at the line. LU also committed 23 turnovers, while the Lopers had just 10.

Grant Olsson and L'Kielynn Taylor each scored six points, and Olsson grabbed three rebounds while Taylor had two blocks and four boards. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden made a free throw and tallied eight rebounds as well as four assists. John Burton finished with four rebounds.

Lincoln will close out its 2018-19 road slate on Saturday (Feb. 16) as the Blue Tigers head to Hays, Kan. for a 4:00 p.m. CST game at Fort Hays State.