MARYVILLE, Mo. - A big first half made the difference on Thursday evening (Jan. 27) as Northwest Missouri handed the Lincoln women's basketball team a 63-46 loss.

Niyah Jackson led LU with 11 points and dished a pair of assists while Ayreona Carter provided 10 points, three rebounds and a steal. Aliyah Bello and Imani Jones each pulled down four rebounds, with Bello tallying seven points and Jones scoring two.

Northwest Missouri (14-5, 9-4 MIAA) shot .400 from the field and held Lincoln (5-14, 1-12 MIAA) to just one three-pointer on the evening while building a 35-14 lead at halftime. The Blue Tigers won the second half though, scoring 17 points in the third period and 15 in the fourth as LU out-scored the Bearcats 32-28 over the final 20 minutes.

Kelsey Mitchell finished the game with six points, two steals, a block and three boards while Mercy Gonzalez blocked a shot, chipped in six points and secured three rebounds. AJ Bradley also collected three rebounds to go with two points, a pair of assists and a steal. Deija Jackson blocked a shot, and Hya Haywood and Kylie Bernskoetter each scored two points, with Haywood also contributing two boards and an assist.

Lincoln remains on the road on Saturday (Jan. 29) as the Blue Tigers finish the month of January with a road game in St. Joseph, Mo. against Missouri Western. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST.