BOLIVAR, Mo. - Lincoln senior Joshua Buie scored 17 points and dished out seven assists as the Blue Tigers held on to beat Southwestern Oklahoma State 64-61 Saturday in the final round of the SBU Classic.
Buie was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and added a field goal in the final 42 seconds to hold off a late surge by the Bulldogs (1-1).
Trent Washington knocked down a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining, but Buie hit two free throws and SWDSU missed its final attempt from behind the arc as the Blue Tigers (1-1) walked away with their first victory of the season and their first win under head coach John Moseley.
Mike Smith finished with 14 points, while Zach Schraeder added 13 points and Blake Ralling chipped in with 10 to lead Lincoln, which was 20-of-46 (44 percent) from the field and 20-of-27 (74 percent) from the charity stripe.
Martell Collins scored a game-high 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Washington added 12 points for the Bulldogs, who were 22-of-52 (42 percent) from the field and 11-of-19 (60 percent) from the free-throw line.
SWDSU claimed a 35-28 advantage on the glass, but the Bulldogs committed 16 turnovers, resulting in 18 points for Lincoln.
The Blue Tigers went into the break trailing 30-28 after a back-and-forth first half.
The teams stayed within five points of each other early in the second half, but a layup by Alexander Nailes capped a 9-1 Lincoln run to give the Blue Tigers a 44-35 lead - their largest of the day - with 12:03 left in the game.
SWDSU responded with a 14-6 serge to tie it at 50 with 6:06 remaining, but the Bulldogs could never pull in front of Lincoln.
The Blue Tigers return to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they travel to take on Maryville.
Lincoln will hold its home opener at 7 p.m. Nov. 24 against Illinois-Springfield.