SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team led at halftime and gave NCAA Division I opponent Missouri State all it could handle in an exhibition game on Wednesday night (Dec. 18). The Bears fought back in the second half, however, and won the game, 61-49.

Lincoln allowed Missouri State to shoot just .375 in a first half that ended with the Blue Tigers on top, 24-23. The Bears got their offense going in the second half, however, shooting a blistering .722 from the field while out-scoring the Blue Tigers by 13. Lincoln scored 17 points off of 13 MSU turnovers and the Bears held a slim 27-23 advantage in rebounding, but LU was held to .383 shooting for the contest and .300 beyond the arc.

Xavier Ball led the Blue Tigers with 11 points and six rebounds and also dished an assist and recorded a steal. Tyler Chapman finished with 10 points and two assists while Franck Yetna, who registered a team-high three steals, ended the night with six points and four boards. Max Ekono, meanwhile, had nine points, two assists, a pair of rebounds and a steal.

Malcolm Davis notched two takeaways to go with five points and Mikey West had two each of points, assists and rebounds. Youssouf Timera added four points and two boards to the Lincoln effort while Tyson Robinson closed the scoring with two points, a rebound and an assist. Matthieu Biembongo dropped a dime and pulled down four rebounds.

Lincoln closes its December schedule on Sunday (Dec. 22) when the Blue Tigers play Ohio Dominican. That game, which will be played at Lakeland College in Mattoon, Ill., will tip off at 1:00 p.m. CST.