CLAREMORE, Okla. - The Lincoln men's basketball team drained 10 three-pointers, shooting .400 overall behind the arc, but a big night at the free throw line helped Rogers State to beat the Blue Tigers, 67-62, on Thursday evening (Jan. 18).

In a statistical rarity, both teams made 25 field goals on 59 attempts (.424). The Blue Tigers held Rogers State (9-7, 6-4 MIAA) to .182 shooting from three-point range, forced 12 turnovers and had three players score in double figures. The main difference in the came down to free throws, however, as the Hillcats went 15-for-17 at the line while Lincoln (10-6, 5-5 MIAA) was awarded only four free throws for the ballgame.

Lincoln built an early 13-point lead, but Rogers State went on a 23-4 run to take a 28-22 advantage on a dunk with 3:40 until halftime. Sam Rautins made a three to pull Lincoln back within three and DJ Richardson scored on a layup to send the game into the break with LU down just one point. Rautins ended the day with seven points and three rebounds while Richardson tallied 10 points, seven assists, six boards and a block.

Back-to-back baskets by Rautins gave LU back the lead, 31-30, three minutes into the second half, but a 9-2 run swung the lead back over to the Hillcats. Trey Boston made a pair of free throws, Rogers State went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe, and Franck Yetna hit a layup before Jamar Madge, Jr. tied the game at 40 on a three-pointer. Madge was LU's leading scorer, finishing with 13 points and two assists. Boston had six points, three assists and a steal on the evening while Yetna finished the night with eight points and two blocks.

Rogers State later regained the lead and went up by eight on a jumper with six minutes to play, but Jose Roberto Tanchyn made a three on LU's following possession. Another trey by Tanchyn pulled LU to within 56-52 entering the final four minutes of the contest, and he later made two more shots from long distance to give LU a 58-56 advantage. In addition to his 12 points, Tanchyn led Lincoln with seven rebounds, blocked a shot and totaled three steals.

Three-straight free throws gave the lead back to RSU, and the Hillcats retained the advantage until the end of the ballgame. Lincon pulled back within one on two occasions and a jumper by Richardson got the Blue Tigers within 65-52, but RSU sealed the win by making two more free throws.

Elijah Farr provided six points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal to the Lincoln cause. Tyson Robinson, meanwhile, grabbed two rebounds.

Lincoln next plays on Saturday (Jan. 20) in Tahlequah, Okla., as the Blue Tigers play Northeastern State at 3:30 p.m. CST.