JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Niyah Jackson led the Lincoln women's basketball team with 12 points and AJ Bradley contributed nine points and eight boards, but the Blue Tigers fell to Nebraska Kearney, 68-53, on Thursday (Jan. 7).

Jackson also had a team-high four steals and dished two assists to go with three rebounds. Bradley, meanwhile, had two assists and a pair of steals. 

Nebraska Kearney (7-0, 7-0 MIAA) played stifling defense for much of the game, holding Lincoln (0-6, 0-6 MIAA) to just .310 from the field and .235 from beyond the arc. The Lopers limited Lincoln to just six points in the first quarter, but LU responded in the second, out-scoring UNK 14-13 to head into halftime down 31-20.

In the fourth quarter, Lincoln shot .571 overall, getting to within seven at one point, but the Lopers held a 45-34 advantage in rebounding. The Blue Tigers forced UNK into 15 turnovers, blocked five shots on the evening and received 30 points from their bench. That includes seven from Aliyah Bello, who also had four rebounds, and eight from Vivian Chigbu.

Simone Jordan blocked two shots and chipped in five points in her first game as a Blue Tiger, and Ashtin Ingram had two rejections to go with two boards and a steal. Virja Lewis added four points and five rebounds to the Lincoln cause, and Joseline Ramos made a pair of treys to end the night with six points, three rebounds and a takeaway. Haylie Holloway closed the scoring with two points, two assists and a steal.

Lincoln returns to Jason Gym to host Fort Hays State on Saturday (Jan. 9) at 1:00 p.m. CST.