ST. LOUIS - The Maryville Saints raced out to a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to a 82-58 win against the Lincoln Blue Tigers in men's basketball action Tuesday night.
The Saints held a 12-10 lead after a low-scoring first 91/2 minutes, but that's when they got hot. Maryville outscored Lincoln 15-3 during the next 41/2 minutes to go up 27-13.
A 5-0 spurt for Lincoln got the Blue Tigers within nine points, but the Saints responded with a 13-2 run to race ahead.
The Saints hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half and their lead was 43-23 at the break.
Maryville's biggest lead came with 6:53 left in the contest when it took a 74-46 advantage. Lincoln never got any closer than 16 the entire second half.
The Saints shot 53 percent (31-of-58) in the win, compared to just 40 percent (20-of-50) for the Blue Tigers. Maryville had a 37-27 edge in rebounds.
The Saints (2-1) put four players in double figures, led by 21 apiece for Armon Provo and Trae Pemberton. Josh Montague chipped in with 13 and Derek Deters had 12.
Mike Smith had 18 points to pace Lincoln and Joshua Buie added 13. Zach Schraeder of the Blue Tigers tied for the game high with seven rebounds.
Lincoln (1-2) will return to action Friday and Saturday in the Freeman Sports/Chris Tucker Memorial Classic in Joplin. The Blue Tigers will play Mid-America Christian at 5:30 p.m. Friday and St. Mary's (Kan.) at 3 p.m. Saturday.