TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Zuri Hill pulled down key rebounds for the Lincoln University women's basketball team Saturday as the Blue Tigers snapped a three-game skid with a 59-57 win against the Northeastern State RiverHawks.
The RiverHawks took a 57-56 advantage with about two minutes remaining.
Mary Jane Buschmann blocked a Hill jumper to give Northeastern State the ball back, but Hill got a rebound after a RiverHawks miss.
Lizzie Nessling then missed a 3-pointer but Hill got the rebound and basket to give Lincoln a 58-57 lead with 42 seconds remaining.
Hill got another rebound off a RiverHawks miss on the next possession and Sarah Neptune made 1-of-2 at the free throw line to give Lincoln a 59-57 lead in the final seconds.
The RiverHawks were unable to get a shot off after Neptune's missed free throw to seal the win for the Blue Tigers.
Hill tallied her sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.
Hunter Yoakum and Azaria Nave each scored 10. Nessling added eight points and nine rebounds.
Yoakum went 2-for-8 from beyond the arc to get within one of tying Quenita Washington for second on Lincoln's career 3-pointers list.
The junior is 28 3s from tying Sheila Leopold's 151 made 3s.
Lincoln got off to a fast start, scoring the first eight points of the game. Nessling capped off the run with a 3.
Northeastern State's first lead of the game was 14-12 with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Lincoln led by nine late in the third quarter, but a 9-0 run tied the game at 46 with less than eight minutes remaining.
The RiverHawks took the lead three times after that but they didn't score in the final two minutes.
Lincoln (8-13, 4-11 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) will visit Northwest Missouri State (3-18, 1-14 MIAA) on Thursday. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.
III
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - A late run for the Northeastern State men's basketball team led it to a 93-81 win against the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Saturday.
The Blue Tigers have lost five of their past six games and has fallen to sixth in the MIAA after being as high as tied for second.
Lincoln cut Northeastern State's lead to 77-75 with 2:47 remaining after an Anthony Virdure 3-pointer, but the RiverHawks went on a 9-1 run in the next 1:37 to help put the Blue Tigers away.
Lincoln wasn't able to rally from the late deficit like it had numerous times throughout the game.
The Blue Tigers trailed 22-12 with 9:31 remaining in the first half before going on a 12-1 run to take a 24-23 lead at the 6:04 mark.
During the run, Virdure scored four points, O'Shai Clark made a 3, Aaron Spudich made a jumper, Richie Lewis made a pair of three throws and Tacourrus Mattox capped it off with a free throw.
The RiverHawks took the lead back with a 3 from Montre' Williams and got its lead up to 43-34 with 1:17 remaining in the half before Lincoln scored five of the final seven points of the half.
Jaylon Smith made the first basket of the second half to get Lincoln within four, but Trey Mohair knocked in a 3 for Northeastern State to make it 48-41 with 18:03 remaining.
But the Blue Tigers scored nine straight in just over a three-minute span to lead 50-48.
Virdure led Lincoln with 24 points and six assists.
Clark and Smith each scored 15 and had eight and seven rebounds, respectively.
Spudich recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Lewis had 10 points and a game-high four steals.
Northeastern State had six players score at least nine points.
KD Moore led the RiverHawks with 22 points.
Mohair scored 16 and had a game-high seven assists.
Williams and Dakota Caudill scored 14 and 13, respectively.
Lincoln (12-9, 8-7 MIAA) will play at conference-leading Northwest Missouri State (15-5, 12-3 MIAA) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.