PITTSBURG, Kan. - Jaylon Smith tossed in 30 points Thursday night as the Lincoln Blue Tigers downed the Pittsburg State Gorillas 77-69 in men's MIAA basketball action.
It was a balanced effort for Smith. He finished 10-of-14 from the field, including a 6-of-9 performance on 3-pointers, while going 4-of-5 at the line. Smith also led the Blue Tigers with eight rebounds.
Anthony Virdure finished with 16 points for Lincoln, while Maurice Mason totaled 11.
Pittsburg State scored the first seven points of the game. Lincoln got its first lead of the game when a Smith 3-pointer made it 16-14 with 11:25 remaining in the first half.
That was part of a 14-0 run by the Blue Tigers, who led 44-34 at the half.
Lincoln led by as many as 19 points in the second half. Pittsburg State did not get as close as double digits until less than a minute remained.
Elijah Gaines had 17 points for Pittsburg State (3-12 overall, 1-6 MIAA), which outrebounded Lincoln 39-25. Jaxon Holden added 14, while Jordan Phelps came off the bench to score 11.
Lincoln (13-6, 4-3) will play Saturday afternoon at Missouri Southern. Game time is 3 p.m.