FAYETTE, Iowa - Tyler Chapman led all scorers with 29 points as the Lincoln men's basketball team defeated Upper Iowa, 72-65, on Thursday night (Feb. 6). The win was the second in a row for the Blue Tigers as well as their third in the past four games.

Chapman also collected three rebounds, notched two steals and dished an assist as Lincoln (15-6, 7-6 GLVC) out-rebounded the Peacocks, 45-35, and forced nine takeaways while only committing six turnovers. The Blue Tigers shot .394 overall but .750 at the line, with Max Ekono making three huge shots at the line to salt the game away. Ekono led LU with 14 rebounds and scored seven points to go with three assists.

Lincoln led 33-29 at halftime, but Upper Iowa (15-7, 9-5 GLVC) fought back to tie the game at 38 with just under 15 minutes to play. A layup briefly gave the Peacocks the lead, but Andreas Fuller answered with a bucket to tie the score at 40. Fuller finished second among the Blue Tigers with 13 points and pulled down six rebounds to go with a pair of assists, a block and a steal.

The Blue Tigers later regained a three-point advantage on a jumper in the paint by Tyson Robinson, but Upper Iowa scored six-straight points on old-fashioned three-point plays to go up 48-45. Robinson pulled LU back within one on a layup, but UIU went 3-for-4 at the free throw line during its next two possessions to push its lead up to four. A three by Chapman put Lincoln back within one point, but Upper Iowa scored the next four to make it a 55-50 ballgame.

Upper Iowa later led by eight, but Fuller drained a three to start Lincoln's rally. LU connected on four-straight free throws to pull within 61-58, and Chapman hit another three to tie the game once again. Malcolm Davis continued the run by making a layup, but the Peacocks answered with a basket to tie the game at 63 with just under two minutes remaining. There were ultimately seven ties on Thursday night as well as 10 lead changes.

Back-to-back layups by Chapman and Fuller gave LU a four-point cushion with 56 ticks left on the clock, but UIU would make two free throws for its final points of the evening, cutting the Lincoln avantage down to two. After a quick layup by Chapman, Ekono hit his three free throws, giving Lincoln an insurmountable seven-point lead.

Franck Yetna scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds to go with two assists, a steal and a block. Robinson ended the night with six points and Davis supplied a steal and a rebound to the winning cause. Matthieu Biembongo added four points and five boards while Mikey West finished with four points, three rebounds and an assist.

Lincoln remains on the road on Saturday (Feb. 8), traveling to Romeoville, Ill. to play Lewis at 3:00 p.m. CST.