JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team made 12 three-pointers and had four players score in double figures as the Blue Tigers defeated Lewis, 75-65, on Thursday (Dec. 5). The win improved Lincoln to 5-0 in Jason Gym for the first time since 2020-21 and raised the Blue Tigers' record to 6-2 overall and 1-2 in the GLVC.

Playing their first-ever home GLVC game, the Blue Tigers scored first on a layup by Franck Yetna, but Lewis (4-3, 1-1 GLVC) responded by taking a 13-6 advantage with 14 minutes left in the first half. Mikey West hit a pair of treys to begin Lincoln's comeback and Yetna hit a layup before West's third long range bucket pulled the Blue Tigers to within 20-19 of the Flyers.

Another triple, this one drained by Malcolm Davis, gave Lincoln back the lead, and the Blue Tigers ended up taking a 34-28 advantage into the intermission. Tyler Chapman made a basket to put Lincoln ahead by nine, 39-30, early in the second half, but a 7-0 run brought Lewis back to within 42-41 with 14 minutes remaining in the contest. A couple minutes later, Lewis regained the lead on a pair of free throws that made it a 45-44 affair.

The lead did not last long, as Yetna hit a three-pointer to put Lincoln back ahead by two. That jump-started an 8-0 run by the Blue Tigers, capped by a long distance bucket by Max Ekono. With just over seven minutes remaining, Lincoln led 60-50, but the Flyers answered with a 10-0 run to tie the game for the fourth time.

Lincoln proved resilient, as a trey by Chapman followed by a three from Yetna gave the Blue Tigers back the lead, this time for good. Lincoln ended the game by making seven-consecutive free throws, part of a night in which the Blue Tigers shot .895 at the line. Lincoln shot .418 overall and .444 from beyond the arc while only turning the ball over four times. The Blue Tigers forced Lewis into 11 turnovers, resulting in 15 points for Lincoln, spoiling a night in which the Flyers shot .477 from the field.

Yetna led Lincoln with 24 points and grabbed three rebounds to go with two assists and a steal. West finished with 14 points, four boards, four assists and a takeaway while Ekono and Davis each chipped in 10 points. Ekono pulled down six rebounds and provided an assist and a steal. Davis, meanwhile, grabbed five rebounds.

Chapman dished a team-high seven assists and collected three rebounds while scoring eight points. Matthieu Biembongo blocked two shots and scored six points while also notching a rebound. Xavier Ball closed out the scoring for Lincoln with three points, six boards, a block and an assist. Tyson Robinson also represented Lincoln on Thursday night with an assist.

Lincoln will try to continue its success inside Jason Gym on Saturday (Dec. 7) when the Blue Tigers host Upper Iowa, currently ranked No. 21 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST.