PROMISING START, DISASTER FINISH
Lincoln University (3-4) hung with No. 7 Central Missouri (5-0) in the first half, trailing by two at halftime 36-34 on Nov. 29 in Jason Gymnasium. The Mules went on to claim victory 88-60 by outscoring the Blue Tigers 52-26 in the second half.
The Mules, who shot 40 percent (14-35) in the first half knocked home 63 percent (19-30) of their shots in the second half to carry them to the win. James Edwards opened the second half scoring with a lay up at the 19:24 mark for the Blue Tigers to tie the game at 36. Central Missouri then raced away from Lincoln University using a 29-9 run over the next 10:42 to take a 65-45 advantage. The Mules iced the game by outscoring the Blue Tigers 23-15 in the last 7:31 of play.
Zack Wright, a transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock led all scorers with 28 points for the Mules. Also reaching double figures for Central Missouri were Theo Jones 21, Alonzo Brooks 14 and Darryl Sommerset 13. Brooks pulled down a game high 15 rebounds.
The Blue Tigers scoring leader was Jared Boone with 13 points. Tremaine Wilkerson and Ralph Mata each chipped in 11 points and Sean Birdsong contributed 10.
Lincoln University had their poorest game of the season from the free throw line connecting on only 14-of-28 tries (50 percent). The Blue Tigers were out-rebounded 45-31, the third time this season they have been out-rebounded by 13 or more. The Blue Tigers have been out-rebounded in three of their four defeats.
Central Missouri has prevailed in the last four meetings between the two teams. The Blue Tigers have not earned a victory over the Mules in more than five years. The last time Lincoln University beat Central Missouri was Nov. 23, 2001, 78-72 in St. Joseph, Mo. The Mules own a 46-33 advantage in the series, with a 24-13 mark in Warrensburg, 20-17 in Jefferson City, while the Blue Tigers have a 3-2 advantage in neutral site contests.
In three of the Blue Tigers four losses, they have been beaten by an average of 30 points-per-game.
The Blue Tigers take an extended break to focus on their class work to end the first semester before tipping off the Heartland Conference season. Lincoln University begins Heartland play on January 3 against St. Edward’s University (Austin, Texas) with the women’s game set for 5:30 p.m. and the men to follow at 7:30 p.m.
