ROLLA - The Lincoln men's basketball team was unable to hang with a hot-shooting Missouri S&T (2-0) team Wednesday, as the Blue Tigers narrowly lost to the Miners by a score of 91-88.
Senior guard Jaylon Smith exploded for Lincoln (2-1) for a career-high 35 points off of an efficient 14-22 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-9 shooting performance from behind the 3-point line. Smith nearly had a second-straight double-double, as he pulled down nine rebounds. This was the second time in three games this season Smith has scored more than 30 points. He scored 33 in a season-opening victory against Mary.
However, Missouri S&T managed to hit 14 3-pointers Wednesday. The 14th came after Smith gave the Blue Tigers an 84-82 lead with 1:33 remaining in the game.
Lincoln did have one last chance to tie the game after the teams traded free throws in the final 30 seconds, resulting in a 91-88 advantage for Missouri S&T. However, the Blue Tigers turned it over in the final seconds, giving the team its first loss of the season.
Senior guard Anthony Virdure contributed 26 points off of an efficient 10-of-17 shooting from the field for the Blue Tigers while leading the team with five assists.
Lincoln shot 5-of-17 from deep, with all of those coming from Smith. On the other side of the court, Missouri S&T hit 14 of its 34 three-point attempts, converting on a 41.2 percent clip.
Lincoln will travel to Kansas City on Saturday to face Langston at 3 p.m.