EMPORIA, Kan. - Hya Haywood scored a game-high 29 points as the Lincoln women's basketball team fell to Emporia State, 88-72, on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 12).

Haywood came off the bench to play 30 minutes on Saturday, and in addition to leading all players in scoring, she also grabbed two rebounds, dished a pair of assists and had a steal. Mercy Gonzalez recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points while grabbing 13 rebounds to go with an assist, a block and two steals. Imani Jones provided 10 points, five boards, a block and a steal to the Lincoln effort.

It was a one-point game after the first quarter, with Emporia State (12-11, 7-10 MIAA) holding a 14-13 advantage, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Haywood gave LIncoln (5-19, 1-17 MIAA) the lead, 19-17, two minutes into the second period. ESU tied the game, but back-to-back baskets by Haywood and Gonzalez made the score 23-19 with six minutes until halftime. The Lady Hornets went on an 18-4 run to end the quarter, but the Blue Tigers rallied to cut the deficit down to 58-52 after three quarters of play.

The Blue Tigers scored 45 points in the second half, including holding a 25-21 advantage in a third quarter in which LU shot .714 from the floor and 1.000 from three-point range. Emporia State scored 30 points in the fourth quarter, though, and shot .484 from the field for the contest. The Blue Tigers held a 35-34 edge in rebounding, and forced the Lady Hornets into 17 turnovers.

Niyah Jackson and Kylie Bernskoetter each scored seven points, with Jackson additionally grabbing three rebounds while Bernskoetter added a steal and an assist. Ashtin Ingram had a block and a steal for the Blue Tigers, and AJ Bradley and Deija Jackson each pulled down two rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell ended the day with four points and three boards while Haylie Holloway closed the scoring with two points and an assist.

Lincoln will be off until Thursday (Feb. 17), when the Blue Tigers host Fort Hays State in Jason Gym at 5:30 p.m. CST.