KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jonell Burton scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Grant Olsson added 23 points, including 17 in the first half, as the Lincoln men's basketball team defeated Fort Hays State, 74-69, in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 MIAA Championship on Friday (March 8).

Jonell Burton scored 12 points in the second half, including each of the last four of the game for Lincoln, and tallied three blocks and a steal. Olsson added three boards and a steal while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden recorded a double-double, finishing with 12 points, 11 assists, three steals and four rebounds.

There three ties and 13 lead changes in the first half before Lincoln (18-11) used a 10-0 run to enter halftime with a 39-33 lead. The Blue Tigers continued that run into the second half, opening the final 20 minutes with a layup by Olsson and a trey from Rigmaiden to take its largest lead of the day, 44-33.

Fort Hays State (18-11) regrouped afterwards, eventually pulling within 52-49 on a free throw with 13:16 to play, but Rigmaiden scored the next five points, including hitting another trey to give LU a five-point cushion. Both teams were hot beyond the arc, combining to make 23 three-pointers with each squad shooting over .400.

The Blue Tigers held off several big comeback bids by Fort Hays State in the second half, with FHSU getting within one point on two occasions, including using a pair of free throws to make it a 67-66 game with 3:20 to play. Strong defense by both teams carried the game the next couple minutes until Terrance Smith hit a three-pointer off a dish by Rigmaiden with 47 seconds remaining to put Lincoln back up by four.

Jonell Burton turned a pair of rebounds into four points down the stretch, and Lincoln held on to earn its first postseason victory since winning in the first round of the 2016 MIAA tournament. LU finished with a 35-32 edge in rebounding, shot .500 for the game and scored 14 points off eight FHSU turnovers.

Smith ended the day with nine points and six rebounds, and Amariontez Ivory provided six points, eight boards, two assists and a steal. L'Kielynn Taylor had two points to close the scoring and blocked a shot while contributing an assist and four rebounds. Darrius Spencer and John Burton had two boards apiece.

Lincoln now advances to the semifinals of the 2019 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship to take on Northwest Missouri, the No. 1 team in the NCAA Division II national rankings. Tip-off in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST, and the game will be carried on both the MIAA Network online and over the radio through 88.9 FM KJLU.