EMPORIA, Kan. - Five members of the Lincoln women's basketball team scored in double figures as the Blue Tigers pulled out an historic 85-81 win over Emporia State on Thursday evening (Jan. 5).

Lincoln's win snapped a 23-game winning streak in the series for Emporia State, and was LU's third win all-time against the Lady Hornets. It was also the first victory for the Blue Tigers over Emporia State since winning, 65-61, in Emporia during the 1993-94 season.

Niyah Jackson and Kelsey Mitchell each scored 17 points, with Jackson dishing four assists and Mitchell collecting three rebounds. Miriam Bazylewicz flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a block. Ashlyn Alloway added 16 points and four boards to the winning cause while Le'Yanna McGinnis provided 10 points and five rebounds.

Lincoln (3-10, 1-6 MIAA) enjoyed one of its best shooting nights of the season, as the Blue Tigers were .524 from the field and .545 from three-point range. The Blue Tigers connected on 12 three-pointers and out-scored the Lady Hornets in three of the four quarters. The Blue Tigers crossed the 20-point threshold in three periods, including scoring 23 in each of the first and fourth stanzas. Defensively, the Blue Tigers limited ESU to .391 shooting from beyond the arc and a .429 percentage overall.

The game was closely contested, with 14 lead changes and 12 ties. A late layup gave Emporia State a 43-41 advantage at halftime, but the Blue Tigers quickly tied things up in the third quarter before a three by Aliyah Bello put LU back on top. The Lady Hornets would later retake the lead and go up by as many as four late in the period, but a trey by Saniya Simmons followed by another three from Mitchell allowed Lincoln to take a 62-61 lead through 30 minutes of play.

With 8:31 remaining in the game, Emporia State (9-5, 4-4 MIAA) hit a jumper to tie the score at 65, but an old-fashioned three-point play by McGinnis sprung the Blue Tigers onto an 8-2 run. Lincoln never trailed the rest of the way, leading by as many as seven with five minutes remaining. The Lady Hornets fought back to within one entering the final minutes, but the Blue Tigers kept ESU off the board afterwards to secure their first win of 2023.

Simmons had a team-high three steals to go with seven points and four assists, and Bello ended the day with five points and eight rebounds. AJ Bradley closed the scoring with two points and three assists.

The Blue Tigers will be in action again on Saturday (Jan. 7), as Lincoln travels to Topeka, Kan. to take on Washburn at 1:00 p.m. CST.