SEWARD, Neb. - The Lincoln men's basketball team is officially 1-0 in neutral site games in 2022-23 as the Blue Tigers took advantage of a big first half to beat Concordia-St. Paul, 79-64, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs on Monday night (Dec. 19).

Lincoln (6-2) shot .508 from the field, .455 from three-point land and .714 at the line to win the contest, which was played on the campus of Concordia (Neb.). Three Blue Tigers scored in double figures, led by Kevin Kone, who turned in his sixth double-double of the season. Kone had 21 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block as LU won its only regular season neutral site contest of 2022-23.

The Blue Tigers held Concordia-St. Paul (3-10) to just 19 points in the first half, as the Golden Bears shot just .320 overall and .009 from long distance over the game's first 20 minutes. The game was closely contested through the first 10 minutes, with the Golden Bears pulling to within 19-15 on an old-fashioned three-point play with 10:02 on the clock. Artese Stapleton drained a three, then later fired a jumper as Lincoln scored 14 unanswered points to take control of the ballgame.

Lincoln led by as many as 30 in the second half and prevented CSP from coming any closer than within 14. The Blue Tigers out-rebounded the Golden Bears, 39-27, and scored 17 second chance points. Lincoln also created 16 turnovers and received 25 points from its reserves.

Stapleton finished with 19 points, five boards and three assists, and Emmette Page recorded a team-high five steals to go with 10 points, an assist and three boards. DJ Richardson dropped three dimes and chipped in eight points while grabbing four rebounds and tallying a steal. Jamar Madge, Jr. added seven points and Tyson Robinson finished with five.

Sai Witt blocked a shot and scored four points while collecting four rebounds, and Sam Rautins dished two assists while Arash Yaqubi had one to go with three boards. Caleb Wright scored three points, and Franck Yetna supplied two points, five rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal. Richard Craddock had a rebound while Tyvin Garrison also represented LU on the court.

The Blue Tigers will be off for a holiday break before resuming the season on Dec. 31, when Lincoln hosts Nebraska Kearney at 3:00 p.m. CST in Jefferson City.