The shooting woes caught up with the Lincoln Blue Tigers.
Shots weren't falling Saturday at Jason Gym, so the Blue Tigers went with plan B. They made their way to the free-throw line, and frequently.
Lincoln shot 28-of-38 from the line, using its performance at the charity stripe to rally past Pittsburg State 71-65 for its first conference win of the season.
"We came out a little slow, so once we realized we couldn't hit anything and they were just making shot after shot, we had to buckle down on defense," Lincoln senior guard Anthony Virdure said. "That's what really got us energized. It made us more aggressive and we got to the free-throw line."
Virdure, who scored a game-high 29 points, led Lincoln at the free-throw line, making 16-of-19 attempts. He set the program's single-season record by making 158 free throws last season, but his 16 makes Saturday were a career-best at Lincoln.
"It's been a while," Virdure said. "I've been struggling from the line, so it was good to have some go in."
The free-throw shooting wasn't always superb for Lincoln, which missed four of its first seven attempts at the line. Meanwhile, Pittsburg State caught fire from 3-point range, making five of its first nine shots beyond the arc. Miles Harrison's 3-pointer from the left corner with 6:08 left in the first half gave the Gorillas a 29-16 lead, their largest of the game.
Lincoln couldn't get shots to fall, but the Blue Tigers quickly gained the advantage in the foul department. They were in the bonus at the 8:17 mark and started piling up the free-throw attempts.
"I'll say it and I'll continue to say it. Free throws are like puddy: When you see it go in, you feel better about the next one," Lincoln coach John Moseley said.
Lincoln (7-3, 1-1 MIAA) closed the deficit to single digits and Maurice Mason knocked down a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half, trimming Pittsburg State's lead to 34-28 at the break.
The Gorillas made 7-of-14 threes in the first half. Moseley cranked up the intensity with his team's defense, which contested more long-range shots in the second half and held the Gorillas to 4-of-15 shooting beyond the arc in the second half.
"We wanted to attack," Moseley said. "In the first half, we didn't do a very good job of guarding the 3-point line. We came in knowing that they could shoot the three.
"But our guys, maybe it took them a little bit to realize we were telling them the truth."
Pittsburg State was able to stretch its lead back to 12 points just six minutes into the second half, but Lincoln picked up the pace. The Blue Tigers answered with a quick 10-2 run, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Chase Morfeld.
"We wanted to get the game back within reach," Moseley said. "Chase Morfeld came in and hit two big shots, and our other guys, their energy picked up after seeing the ball go in for Chase."
Lincoln's defense held Pittsburg State (1-10, 0-4 MIAA) to just one field goal during a 10:02 stretch of the second half. Then, fittingly enough, the Blue Tigers took the lead for good by utilizing the free-throw line. Tacourrus Mattox made a pair of free throws with 7:08 to play to give Lincoln a 56-55 lead.
The Blue Tigers iced the game by making four straight free throws in the final 17 seconds to stretch the final margin to six points.
Jaylon Smith added 12 points for the Blue Tigers and Mattox scored eight points, going 4-of-4 at the line. Mason finished with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Lincoln point guard Richie Lewis was limited to playing five minutes off the bench due to a knee injury.
Creighton Brinker and Brandon Clifford led Pittsburg State with 10 points each.
Lincoln will play next Saturday in its first conference road game against Emporia State. The Blue Tigers, who were 12-2 last season in Jason Gym, won just two road games in conference play during the 2015-16 season.
"The expectations at Lincoln are different now," Moseley said. "With the increased expectations, we all put more pressure on ourselves than we normally do.
"We just have to relax and remember what we have to do to be successful."
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