EMPORIA, Kan. - A second half rally allowed Emporia State to hand the Lincoln men's basketball team a 66-57 loss in LU's last road game of 2023-24 on Saturday (Feb. 24). It was also Lincoln's last road game as a member of the MIAA, as the Blue Tigers will join the GLVC beginning in 2024-25.

DJ Richardson led LU offensively with 19 points and eight assists and had three rebounds while Jose Roberto Tanchyn ended the day with 11 boards, five points, a block and a steal. Elijah Farr provided 16 points and seven rebounds to the Blue Tiger cause, and he also had two assists, a block and a steal.

A three-pointer by Farr launched Lincoln (14-12, 9-11 MIAA) onto a 10-3 early in the first half, and the Blue Tigers later took a 25-17 lead on a trey by Tanchyn with 4:38 until halftime. Back-to-back threes by ESU cut the LU lead down to two, but a pair of late jumpers from Richardson gave Lincoln a 31-25 lead over Emporia State (18-10, 11-9 MIAA) heading into halftime.

The biggest difference of the game ended up being free throws, as the Hornets made 22 of their 28 shots at the line while the Blue Tigers missed in their only attempt of the night. Lincoln shot .424 from the field but .304 from three-point range, and Emporia State shot .571 beyond the arc in the second half as it rallied for the win.

Franck Yetna contributed six points, three boards and a block while Tyson Robinson also blocked a shot, dished an assists and notched a pair of steals. Same Rautins added six points and Trey Boston finished with three, with both players also recording an assist. Jamar Madge, Jr. rounded out Lincoln with two points, two boards and a steal.

Lincoln, which has already clinched a trip to the postseason, will close the regular season with a pair of home games next week. Up first for the Blue Tigers is Northeastern State, as Lincoln hosts the RiverHawks on Thursday night (Feb. 29) at 7:30 p.m. CST.