Missouri S&T's men's basketball team had an answer to Lincoln's hot start Saturday -- an even hotter stretch of its own that started just past the midway point of the first half and continued through the final 20 minutes.

The end result was an 86-67 win for the Miners at Billy Key Court that allowed S&T to even its record at 4-4 heading into a 16-day break in the schedule for final examinations and Christmas.

If Saturday's game was a final examination for the first eight games of the season, the final grade would have been an easy passing mark for the Miners. However, it was Lincoln who got out to the fast start as it connected on 12 of its first 18 shots to take a 31-19 lead by the 8:39 mark of the first half.

Ricky Jackson's lay-up at that point gave LU its largest lead of the first half, but the Miners adjusted defensively and held the Blue Tigers to just four points over the balance of the half. In the meantime, S&T started cutting into the lead and got to within five by halftime.

After Lincoln scored the initial basket of the second half, the Miners scored the next seven points to draw even at 37 on a three-point play by #A.J. Mandani#. The Blue Tigers took the lead back on their next trip down the floor, then again at 40-39 on a free throw by Michael Dorton, but Mandani came back the other way after the made free throw to score and give the Miners their first lead since the early stages at 41-40.

Missouri S&T would never trail again.

Beginning with the Mandani basket that put S&T in front, the Miners ran off 25 of the game's next 32 points to build a 17-point lead. During that run, S&T made seven straight shots as it took control of the contest.

After S&T took the lead, Lincoln was able to get to within one on a pair of free throws by Mark Greenwood, but a basket by Aaron Redecker (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) and then broke it open shortly thereafter, in part with its defense. The Blue Tigers were held without a field goal for nearly seven minutes during the course of the Miners' run.

The Miners finished the game by shooting 50.8 percent from the field -- including a 60 percent clip in the second half -- and hit 25-of-29 at the free throw line as well. After Lincoln's fast start, the Blue Tigers made only 11 of their final 41 shots (26.8 percent) on the afternoon and finished at 39 percent.

Justin Taylor (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) led the Miners with 22 points while Mandani finished with 20. S&T also got 15 points from Aaron Hays (Kirksville, Mo./Kirksville) and had a 10-rebound edge on the Blue Tigers; Redecker finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Joe Hutchingson led all scorers with 24 for the Blue Tigers (3-7) and Kyle Wilde had 15, all on three-point baskets. Hutchingson and Wilde combined for all 10 of the Blue Tigers' three-point baskets in the game.