JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - For the first time since 1984-85, when the Lincoln men's basketball team opened the season with seven-straight victories, the Blue Tigers are 4-0 on the season. Lincoln scored 60 points in the second half to beat Spurgeon, 109-77, in its first home game of 2023-24 on Thursday evening (Nov. 16).

Elijah Farr and Jose Roberto Tanchyn each posted double-doubles, three other Blue Tigers scored in double figures and Lincoln, which shot .515 for the game and .577 from three-point range, finished with a commanding 44-22 advantage in rebounding. The Blue Tigers scored 20 points on 17 turnovers by Spurgeon (5-1) and had 17 second-chance points while the Knights finished with zero.

Farr scored 18 points, collected 12 rebounds and dished three assists while Tanchyn, who had two assists and a steal, led Lincoln with 19 points and 13 boards. Jamar Madge, Jr. added 17 points and a steal while DJ Richardson contributed 14 points, five assists, four steals and a block to the winning effort. Franck Yetna also scored in double digits, finishing with 11 points, five boards, three assists and a pair of steals.

Spurgeon, which entered the night undefeated and averaging over 100 points per contest, gave the Blue Tigers a fight early, shooting .615 from the floor and .600 from long distance in the first half. The Knights fought back from an early deficit to enter halftime trailing the Blue Tigers, 49-44. The second half was all Lincoln, though, as the Blue Tigers held the Knights to just .375 shooting from three-point land over the final 20 minutes as well as just 33 points in that period.

Two other Blue Tigers nearly finished in double figures, as Sam Rautins scored nine points to go with three rebounds while Tyson Robinson ended the day with nine points and five assists. Caleb Wright tallied six points and three rebounds, Arash Yaqubi made a free throw to go with two boards and Bronson Borlace came off the bench late to provide three points and four rebounds. Peyton Williams closed the scoring with two points, and Clay Butler rounded out LU with an assist, a block and a steal.

Lincoln's next game will be on Nov. 30, when the Blue Tigers travel to Wichita, Kan. to open MIAA play against Newman. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.