JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team gave the No. 22 team in the country all it could handle in the first half, but Central Oklahoma pulled away over the final 20 minutes to hand the Blue Tigers an 82-55 loss on Saturday (Jan. 15).

Yaniel Vidal led LU with 13 points and had a block to go with six rebounds and three assists. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden scored 12 and also had six boards, as well as two assists and a steal. Mark Boland additionally scored in double figures, tallying 10 points, three rebounds and an assist.

Lincoln (1-11, 0-7 MIAA) opened the game hot, with treys from Vidal and Rigmaiden followed by a Derrick Woods jumper giving LU the early 8-2 lead. Chuck Wilson hit a three-pointer to later put the Blue Tigers ahead by seven, but UCO scored the game's next five points. Another three, this one drained by Woods, gave Lincoln back a three-point cushion, but the Bronchos went on a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the ballgame.

Central Oklahoma (15-2, 10-1 MIAA) entered the game ranked No. 22 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll, but Lincoln went toe-to-toe with them for most of the first half, including cutting the lead down to three on a Josh Wallace layup with 11:33 to play. After UCO made a jumper off a fast break, Boland drained another trey to make it a 23-21 affair. A pair of free throws by Vidal tied the game, and LU retook the lead on a Vidal layup off a Destan Williams steal.

Lincoln would eventually build its lead back up to seven, but UCO answered with a 7-0 run to knot the score at 30 entering the final five minutes of the opening half. The teams traded jumpers, but Central Oklahoma went on a final run to take a 39-32 advantage into halftime. The Bronchos ended up controlling the second half, shooting .593 from the field and .556 from three-point range, while LU was held to .300 shooting from the field during the final 20 minutes.

Wallace grabbed three rebounds, and Williams finished the day with four points, three assists, a block, a steal and three boards. Wilson dished three assists and claimed two rebounds, and Woods ended the game with seven points, three boards, a block and a steal. Alafia Oluwasogo provided two points and five rebounds, and Josh Gained chipped in two points.

The Blue Tigers are back on the road next Thursday (Jan. 20), traveling to Claremore, Okla. to play Rogers State at 7:30 p.m. CST.