LEBANON, Ill. - Four members of the Lincoln men's basketball team scored in double figures as the Blue Tigers beat McKendree, 73-68, on Thursday (Jan. 23).

Mikey West led Lincoln with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Max Ekono contributed 16 points, eight boards, a block and a steal. Franck Yetna finished with 14 points, four rebounds, a steal, an assist and two blocks. Tyler Chapman, meanwhile, ended the evening with 11 points, two assists, a steal and a rebound.

Lincoln (13-5, 5-5 GLVC) enjoyed one of its best shooting nights of the season, finishing with a shooting percentage of .524 from the field and .471 from long range. The Blue Tigers shot .500 in a dominant first half in which, for the third time this season, LU held an opponent to fewer than 20 points, as Lincoln took a 33-14 advantage into halftime. The Blue Tigers shot .550 overall, .500 from three-point distance and .833 at the free throw line in the second half as Lincoln survived a furious comeback by the Bearcats to earn the victory.

With just under 10 minutes to play, Lincoln held a 57-32 lead, but a 13-2 run helped McKendree (8-9, 5-5 GLVC) cut the LU lead down to 10 with 2:04 remaining. Ekono and West each made a pair of free throws down the stretch, but McKendree, which shot just .286 from three-point range during the game, managed to answer both of those with a long-distance basket. Two turnovers allowed McKendree to get within four, and a three-pointer in the final seconds made it a 71-68 affair, but two more free throws by West sealed the Lincoln win.

The Blue Tigers held a slim 28-27 edge in rebounding but forced 11 turnovers and held the Bearcats to nine second-chance points. McKendree shot .200 in the first half but .531 in the second to finish the game with an overall percentage of .404. Lincoln received major contributions from its bench, as LU's reserves out-scored McKendree's 27-9.

Tyson Robinson provided eight points, two assists, a block, a steal and a rebound to the winning effort while Malcolm Davis closed the scoring with five points, three boards and a pair of assists. Matthieu Biembongo had a steal and an assist and also secured three rebounds. Caleb Wright also had a steal for LU.

The Blue Tigers will next play on Saturday (Jan. 25), as Lincoln heads to St. Louis, Mo. to play Maryville at 3:00 p.m. CST.