JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Terrance Smith and Jonell Burton combined for 49 points, but the Lincoln men's basketball team fell to Southwest Baptist, 82-78, on Wednesday night (Feb. 27).

Smith led all scorers with 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to go with a block and two assists, while Jonell Burton provided 24 points, eight boards, three blocks, two steals and a pair of assists. Grant Olsson also finished in double figures, tallying 10 points, three boards and a steal.

Lincoln (16-11, 9-9 MIAA) rallied from a nine-point second half deficit to take a 63-62 lead on a pair of L'Kielynn Taylor free throws with 9:36 to play. The game featured nine ties and five lead changes, one of which came soon after Taylor's shots at the line, as Southwest Baptist (13-14, 7-11 MIAA) made a three to retake a two-point advantage.

The Bearcats were hot all game, shooting .615 in the first half en route to a 42-40 lead at the break, and shot .580 for the game, including .450 from long distance. The Blue Tigers shot .473 from the floor, but .320 from three-point land. Lincoln was hot at the line, however, making 18 of its 21 free throw attempts (.857).

SBU held an 81-75 lead with just under a minute to play, but Amariontez Ivory pulled the Blue Tigers within three on a trey with 49 seconds to play. The Lincoln defense got a big stop on the next possession, and tried for the tie with just under five ticks left on the clock, but the ball bounced off the rim. The Bearcats later made a free throw to seal the win.

Ivory had seven points and three rebounds for the Blue Tigers, and Darrius Spencer added four points while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden registered three points and three assists. John Burton added three points and two assists to the Lincoln cause, and Taylor had a pair of rebounds to go with his two free throws.

Lincoln, which has already secured a berth in the MIAA Men's Basketball Championship tournament, will close the regular season on Saturday (March 2) when the Blue Tigers host Central Missouri at 2:00 p.m. CST.