Show Me State Classic: Rally Comes Up Short as Lincoln Falls to Harris Stowe Hornets

ST. CHARLES, Missouri -- The Lincoln women's basketball team out-scored Harris Stowe 36-29, in the second half, but the Hornets held off a later Blue Tiger comeback as HSSU beat LU, 68-64, in the Show Me State Classic on Saturday (Dec. 3).

Lincoln faced a 39-28 deficit at halftime, but shot .412 from the floor over the final two quarters and forced 11 turnovers to get back in the game. The Blue Tigers came within one point of the Hornets, 48-47, with 2:47 remaining in the third, but Harris Stowe used a quick 5-0 run to keep Lincoln from taking the lead.

In the fourth quarter, Harris Stowe (5-4) took a 10-point lead on a pair of free throws with 1:20 remaining in the game, but Lincoln (1-5) was not ready to call it a night. Azaria Nave made a pair of shots at the line, then caused a steal and passed the ball to Hunter Yoakum, who hit a layup to pull LU to within 66-60. Harris Stowe then attempted a quick layup on its ensuing possession, but missed the shot, which led to a Tempary Gunter layup on the other end of the court.



With just eight seconds remaining, Yoakum created another turnover and made a layup to pull the Blue Tigers to within 66-64. Lincoln then quickly fouled, but Harris Stowe made both of its free throws. LU tried a three-pointer on the following possession, but Harris Stowe grabbed the rebound and held onto the ball to run out the clock.

Erica Gibbons had a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with four steals, three blocks and an assist. Nave led all scorers with 20 points and dropped four dimes while tallying four boards and a pair of steals. Yoakum scored 17 points and finished with six rebounds.

Lopez added five points, three boards, a pair of assists and two steals while Tyler Brown-Henderson scored four points and Gunter chipped in three. Brown-Henderson additionally had six rebounds while Gunter pulled down five. Kailey Foster contributed an assist and Shamirah Johnson recorded three rebounds.

The Blue Tigers will open MIAA play at home on Thursday (Dec. 8), as Lincoln hosts Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m. CST. It will be Parochial Schools and Heroes Night, and all kids, EMT workers, firefighters, police officers, current and veteran members of the military, and all faculty and staff members at Jefferson City's parochial schools will receive free admission.

BOX SCORE

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS