JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team edged Newman, 59-58, in a defensive tussle on Thursday (Dec. 1) to remain a perfect 4-0 at home in 2022-23.

The two teams combined to collect 92 rebounds, with Lincoln's Kevin Kone grabbing 22, just one short of the single-game high in NCAA Division II this season. Kone also scored 14 points, including making a free with 3.3 seconds remaining to put the Blue Tigers ahead by four and essentially seal the victory. Kone additionally blocked five shots.

Lincoln (4-1, 1-1 MIAA) jumped out to an early 11-2 lead, but Newman (4-3, 0-1 MIAA) responded with a 9-0 run before hitting a three-pointer to take the lead at the 13:28 mark. The Jets would soar to a six-point lead entering the final 6:56 of the opening half, but the Blue Tigers out-scored Newman, 10-3, to take a 29-28 lead into halftime on a late trey by Emmette Page. Page finished the night with seven points, two boards, an assist and a steal.

The Blue Tigers shot .407 from the field in the first half, but the Jets held Lincoln to .290 over the final 20 minutes. Lincoln stepped up to the challenge defensively, limiting the Jets to just 17 field goals in the contest for a .288 overall shooting percentage. LU held a 50-42 advantage on the glass and forced NU into 15 turnovers, the biggest of which came in the final seconds as Newman lost the ball on Lincoln's side of the court, setting up Kone's eventual game-winning free throw.

Artese Stapleton had 16 points to lead LU offensively and grabbed four rebounds to go with two steals and an assist. Franck Yetna ended the night with with eight points and seven boards, and DJ Richardson provided eight points while Jamar Madge, Jr. finished with four points and four boards. Sam Rautins closed the scoring with two points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

Up next for Lincoln is its toughest test thus far this regular season, as the Blue Tigers host Central Oklahoma, ranked No. 7 in the country, on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 3:00 p.m. CST.