JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - DJ Richardson scored a game-high 22 points, but Northwest Missouri rallied in the second half to beat the Lincoln men's basketball team, 61-49, on Saturday (Jan. 27).

Richardson also had three rebounds, two steals and an assist as Lincoln (12-7, 7-6 MIAA) shot .391 from the field. The Blue Tigers held the Bearcats, who entered the game ranked No. 21 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll, to .375 shooting overall and .235 from beyond the arc. The big difference came at the line, where NWMSU made 21 of its 25 attempts while LU made nine of its 11 tries.

Northwest Missouri (15-4, 11-2 MIAA) jumped out to a 12-0 lead through seven minutes of play before Richardson got the Blue Tigers on the board with a three-pointer. The teams traded jumpers before NWMSU regained an 11-point advantage on bucket that made the score 16-5 with 11 minutes to play.

The rest of the half, however, belonged to the Blue Tigers, who out-scored the Bearcats 22-10 until halftime. Trey Boston made three free throws to begin the comeback and Richardson later scored eight unanswered as LU pulled within four. Two more free throws from Boston, who ended the game with eight points and five rebounds, later brought the Blue Tigers back within two. An old-fashioned three-point play by Elijah Farr eventually gave LU its first lead of the afternoon, and Lincoln entered the break up 27-26 over Northwest Missouri.

Farr, who had nine points, four boards and a pair of assists, scored the first points of the second half, but the Bearcats rallied to take a 34-31 lead through the first five minutes of the period. The Bearcats would not look back, as LU did not get closer than within one the rest of the contest, although the Blue Tigers did keep the deficit within single digits until there was less than a minute remaining. NWMSU won the battle on the glass, securing 32 rebounds to Lincoln's 29, but LU received 14 points from its bench while NWMSU's reserves scored just two points.

Sam Rautins hit two treys to tally six points, two rebounds and a steal for the game while Jose Roberto Tanchyn, who led LU with seven rebounds, chipped in two points and blocked three shots. Franck Yetna closed the scoring with two points and six boards. Jamar Madge, Jr. also had a rebound.

Lincoln will be off until next Saturday (Feb. 3), when the Blue Tigers travel to Warrensburg, Mo. to take on Central Missouri at 3:00 p.m. CST.