ST. CHARLES - The third time was the charm for the Lincoln men's basketball team.
The Blue Tigers dropped both regular-season contests against Lindenwood, but they avenged the two defeats Monday by beating the Lions 72-61 in the first round of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
The victory gives Lincoln 17 wins, the most in a single season by the program since going 20-7 during the 2000-01 season.
Lincoln fell behind 7-0 in the first three minutes of Monday's game. The Blue Tigers battled back to tie the game at 12 with a basket by Jaylon Smith, but they wouldn't take their first lead until Richie Lewis knocked down a jump shot with 3:35 to play in the first half to go ahead 26-24.
Lindenwood would take back the lead momentarily, but Smith and Lewis each made a free throw in the final minute of the half to give Lincoln a 34-32 lead at intermission.
Lincoln also led at halftime in its first two matchups this season against Lindenwood. This time, they didn't give the lead back in the second half.
The Blue Tigers led the final 20 minutes of the game and led by as many as 20 points with 3:18 to play. Lincoln went on a 12-0 run, keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Maurice Mason, to surge to a 67-47 lead.
The Lions answered with an 11-0 run, but Lewis knocked down a pair of free throws with :35.5 left to make the score 69-58. The free throws secured a double-double for Lewis, his first of the season.
Lewis added two more free throws and Anthony Virdure went 1-of-2 at the line down the stretch to push the Lincoln lead to 13 points.
Four players scored in double figures for Lincoln, led by Smith with 21 points. Virdure chipped in 16 points and Lewis finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Mason also scored 12 points - all in the second half - shooting 4-of-9 from 3-point range.
Chandler Diekvoss led Lindenwood (21-12) with 14 points.
Lincoln (17-12), the No. 9 seed in the tournament, will place top-seeded Northwest Missouri (26-1) in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
In other first-round games Monday, No. 5 Fort Hays State topped Northeastern State 61-53, sixth-seeded Washburn won 89-70 against Southwest Baptist and No. 7 Central Oklahoma won 62-49 against Emporia State. Lincoln was the only road team to win in the first round.