JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - It came down to the frenzied final seconds, but Truman State eked out a 59-57 win over the Lincoln men's basketball team on Friday night (Jan. 2).

Lincoln (7-6, 1-4 GLVC) held a 38-34 advantage at halftime, but the second half turned into a defensive tussle, with both teams shooting under .333 from the field. Neither team made a three-pointer over the final 20 minutes, though the Bulldogs managed to score 25 points compared to 19 for the Blue Tigers. Lincoln finished with a 46-34 advantage in rebounds, but was forced into 19 turnovers while the Bulldogs committed just six.

With 11:17 remaining, Max Ekono hit a jumper to give LU a 50-40 lead, one that would not change until the 8:29 mark, when Truman State (5-7, 2-2 GLVC) made a bucket to pull within eight. A layup by Malcolm Davis briefly but Lincoln back on top by 10, but TSU used a 9-0 run to take a 53-52 lead with 3:27 to play. Ekono led LU with 13 rebounds and scored seven points while dishing two assists and a pair of blocks. Davis, meanwhile, had a team-high 19 points and ended the evening with three boards, an assist and a steal.

Davis made a quick jumper to put Lincoln back on top, 54-53, with three minutes remaining, and a free throw by Truman State tied the game with 2:12 to play. Ekono answered with a free throw, and the two teams traded buckets to make the score 57-56 in favor of the Blue Tigers.

With eight seconds remaining, a fast break layup gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead. Lincoln turned the ball over on the in-bound pass and was forced to foul quickly, but the Bulldogs made just one of the two free throw attempts to keep the LU deficit at two. The Blue Tigers got the ball down the court and had two shot attempts over the final five seconds, but neither went in, allowing TSU to escape with the win.

D'Necco Rucker scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, dropped a dime, notched a takeaway and blocked two shots. Matthieu Biembongo also rejected two shots and chipped in three points to go with five rebounds. Robin Discamps led LU with three blocks and tallied eight points, five rebounds and an assist.

Tyler Lucas contributed six points, a rebound and an assist to the Lincoln cause while Rashad Williams closed the scoring with three points, four boards, an assist and a steal. Sterling Rivera rounded out the Blue Tigers with a rebound and a steal.

Lincoln remains at home on Sunday (Jan. 4) to host Quincy at 3:00 p.m. CST.