JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Lincoln men's basketball team clawed back from a 17-point deficit to pull within five, but Rockhurst, ranked No. 23 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll, used a late run to beat the Blue Tigers, 84-72, on Saturday (Feb. 21).

Saturday was the final home game of 2025-26 for LU as well as Senior Day, with a pre-game ceremony honoring graduating players Tyler Chapman, Malcolm Davis and Max Ekono. Chapman finished the day with six points, a steal, two assists and a pair of rebounds. Davis led the Blue Tigers with 20 points and collected three rebounds to go with an assist and a steal. Ekono flirted with a triple-double, ending the afternoon with 15 points, eight assists and seven boards.

Rockhurst (21-5, 15-3 GLVC) opened the game on a tear, scoring the first nine points before going up 32-15 on a three with 8:46 left until halftime. Ekono started a run for Lincoln (11-16, 5-14 GLVC) by hitting a layup, D'Necco Rucker drained a three, and Davis scored five-straight points to bring the Blue Tigers back within 32-25. Over the final minute of the half, however, the Hawks scored five points to take a 43-30 lead into the break.

Sterling Rivera opened the second half by making a trey and Ekono followed with a layup to make it an eight-point game, and the RU lead hovered between six and 11 for much of the final 20 minutes. After a pair of free throws gave the Hawks a 64-50 lead, Ekono and Rucker hit back-to-back layups to begin the Blue Tiger comeback. Davis sank a three, was fouled, and made the ensuing free throw to get LU within six. With 7:59 remaining, Davis made another free throw to pull the Blue Tigers to within 66-61 of the Hawks.

Lincoln trailed by six, 72-66, at the 3:54 mark, but Rockhurst tightened up defensively and went on a 12-4 run to take control of the contest. The Blue Tigers held a slim 35-34 advantage on the glass and shot .789 at the free throw line, but just .375 for the ballgame.

Robin Discamps came off the bench to provide 11 points, four boards, a block and a steal, and Rucker ended the day with 10 points, five rebounds and an assist. Matthieu Biembongo contributed seven points and six boards to the Lincoln cause while Rivera had two steals, a pair of rebounds and an assist. Tyler Lucas pulled down two rebounds and Rashad Williams rounded out LU with a block and a board.

Lincoln closes the season next Thursday (Feb. 26) with a trip to Rolla, Mo. to play Missouri S&T at 7:30 p.m. CST.