JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - It was a veritable three party inside Jason Gym on Saturday (Feb. 5) as the Lincoln men's basketball team drained 16 baskets from long distance en route to a 98-87 win over Pittsburg State. After spending the past five games on the road, Lincoln celebrated being back in Jason Gym with its seventh-consecutive home win over the Gorillas.

The Blue Tigers shot .593 for the game from long distance, including dialing up 10 treys in a second half that featured LU making 66.7-percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. Mekhi Kimble and Derrick Woods were each 4-for-4 from three-point range, while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden was 2-for-2 and Mark Boland was 2-for-3. Kimble led Lincoln in scoring with 17 points and had two steals to go with three rebounds.

The lead changed nine times, mainly during a first half that ended with Lincoln (2-16, 1-12 MIAA) taking a 41-39 lead into the break. Early in the second half, with the Blue Tigers clinging to a one-point lead, Kimble scored six-straight points, and Rigmaiden later connected from downtown for a 59-52 LU lead. Kimble increased that advantage into double digits with another three-pointer, and Woods, Chuck Wilson and Arash Yaqubi each drained threes in consecutive possessions to give the Blue Tigers a 71-56 cushion.

Pittsbug State (4-16, 3-11 MIAA) took advantage of free throw opportunities to stay in the game, as the Gorillas made 15 shots at the line during the second half and shot .800 from the charity stripe for the ballgame. The Gorillas pulled within six with a minute remaining, but Lincoln capitalized on its own free throw chances down the stretch, making 10 of 11 attempts at the line to end the game with the victory.

Woods had 16 points on Saturday while Rigmaiden and Wilson each had 13. Rigmaiden led LU with eight assists and grabbed four rebounds, and Wilson grabbed six rebounds and dropped three dimes. Destan Williams, meanwhile, contributed eight points and five assists to the winning cause.

Yaniel Vidal came off the bench to provide seven points, five boards and a steal, Josh Wallace added five points and three rebounds, and John Gaines chipped in four points. Boland had six points for the Blue Tigers, and Alafia Oluwasogo rounded out Lincoln with six points, two boards and an assist.

The Blue Tigers will continue a three-game homestand on Monday (Feb. 7) with a 7:30 p.m. CST contest against Missouri Southern.