QUINCY, Ill. - The Lincoln Blue Tigers couldn't quite dig themselves out of their first-half hole Sunday, losing 90-84 to the Quincy Hawks in the Quincy Holiday Classic.
Lincoln's only lead of the game came after winning the opening tip and scoring on a jumper by Jordan Notch. The Blue Tigers turned it over on their next possession, then Quincy's Austin Downing hit a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a lead they would hold the rest of the game.
By the midway point of the first half, Quincy used a 7-0 run to build a 26-16 lead. That lead would stretch to as many as 14 points, until Lincoln reeled off a 7-0 run to finish the half, making the score 47-42 at intermission.
Quincy's lead was back to double digits by the first media timeout of the second half and was as high as 19 points by the final media timeout with just more than four minutes remaining.
Lamont Ballard hit three 3-pointers and Notch added another 3 to close the gap to 86-82, but the Blue Tigers couldn't get any closer.
Ballard finished with a team-high 21 points for Lincoln. Marcel Burton, Jonell Burton and Bansi King each added 12 points.
The Blue Tigers shot 16-of-30 from 3 in the loss.
Ryan Briscoe led Quincy (5-4) with 22 points and Tanner Stuckman finished with 20 points.
Lincoln (3-7) wraps up non-conference play Wednesday at home against Culver-Stockton. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. in Jason Gym.