JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team led for nearly the entire ballgame, but a jumper with two ticks left on the clock allowed MIssouri Southern to escape with a 63-62 win on Monday night (Feb. 7).

The Blue Tigers led by three entering the final minute of the contest when John Gaines broke away from the Missouri Southern defense and dunked the ball for a 62-57 advantage. Gaines was called for a Class B technical for hanging onto the rim to avoid falling onto other players, and the Lions made the free throw before draining a three. Lincoln attempted to run out most of the clock on its ensuing possession, but a floating jumper went off the rim, and the Lions pulled down the rebound.

With 7.5 seconds to play, Missouri Southern (12-9, 9-6 MIAA) attempted a three-pointer that missed the mark, but the ball sailed right to another Lion player who was a few feet off the key. That player shot the ball and made it, leaving Lincoln (2-17, 1-13 MIAA) with time enough only for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. The pass in went too far, however, and the Lions ended up completing their rally.

The Blue Tigers led by as many as 10 with 16:59 remaining in the game, but the Lions went on an 13-2 run to take their first lead of the night, 36-35, with 12:40 on the clock. MSSU hit a jumper to extend the lead to three, but Gaines hit a jumper before Josh Wallace swung the lead, and the momentum back to the Blue Tigers by grabbing a rebound and nailing the dunk. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden made a pair of free throws, then fed the ball to Yaniel Vidal for a three-pointer that put Lincoln ahead, 44-38.

LU played tenacious defense all night long, holding the Lions to .355 shooting overall and .267 from beyond the arc. Lincoln scored 14 points off nine Missouri Southern turnovers, and held the Lions to just seven total field goals in the first half. That defensive play served the Blue Tigers for much of the second half, with a Wallace free throw giving LU a 59-52 advantage with 2:38 to play. During next 1:38 of play, however, the Lions out-scored the Blue Tigers 5-1 before Gaines scored on the fast break.

Rigmaiden finished his night with six points, six assists, two steals and a pair of rebounds, and Mekhi Kimble led LU with 10 points while pulling down three rebounds. Destan Williams dished four assists, collected four boards and chipped in five points, and Derrick Woods had a team-high seven rebounds to go with seven points and a steal.

Vidal tallied eight points and two boards, Gaines eneded the evening with six points and a pair of assists, and Arash Yaqubi had three points and a clutch steal the helped Lincoln regain the lead midway through the second half. Wallace finished with five points and four rebounds, while Mark Boland had four boards to go with six points and a steal. Chuck Wilson rounded out LU with four points, two assists, five rebounds and a block.

The Blue Tigers will remain in Jefferson City to host Washburn on Thursday (Feb. 10) at 7:30 p.m. CST.