The Lincoln women's basketball team looked like it needed the perfect fourth quarter.
The Blue Tigers didn't quite play a flawless 10 minutes, but it was pretty close.
Lincoln overcame a 23-point deficit late in the third quarter, outscoring the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 29-11 in the fourth quarter for a 72-70 come-from-behind win Saturday at Jason Gym in Jefferson City.
Lincoln coach Ayana McWilliams said her team finished the game with a lot of heart.
"I see this team day in and day out," McWilliams said. "I'm the only person who knows what they're really capable of. When they set their minds to it and they come ready to play, you get games like today."
The Blue Tigers held the lead for 12 seconds during the first quarter and then led the final 1:05 of the game. Southwest Baptist led the other 38-plus minutes and was ahead 22-17 after one quarter and 41-30 at halftime.
Lincoln's late rally started toward the end of the third quarter. Trailing 59-36 with 1:55 to play, Lincoln finished the quarter on a 6-0 run, then began the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run. The 15 unanswered points trimmed the deficit to single digits at 59-52 with 8:09 left in the game.
Kahdijah Ellison made a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter, then made another 3 as she was falling down with 7:41 to play to answer a 3-point play by Southwest Baptist. The senior transfer from East Carolina scored 13 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.
"It gave us a really big boost overall, but it was more of a boost for herself," McWilliams said. "To see the ball actually go through the net, it just rejuvenated her.
"It opened up what she's capable of."
Ellison was unable to play for Lincoln until after the first semester. In eight games, she has averaged 8.3 points for the Blue Tigers.
"Honestly, (the transition) was really smooth," said Ellison, who also had seven rebounds and a team-high six steals Saturday. "My teammates had me. If I had any questions, they showed me. If anything wasn't right, they put me in the right place."
With Ellison taking a short breather on the bench, the Bearcats pushed their lead back to 11 points. When she returned to the game at the 6:20 mark, Southwest Baptist held a 66-55 lead.
The Bearcats would only score four points the rest of the game. They committed five of their 24 turnovers during the final seven minutes.
Lincoln scored eight points off those five turnovers and had 30 points off turnovers for the game, accounting for 41.7 percent of their scoring. The Blue Tigers finished with a season-high 15 steals in the game.
"Defense is what I pride myself on," McWilliams said. "I harp on that. Today, they just bought into it. Really and truly, that's the only way we like to play.
"If we can defend and get steals, you see what kind of energy it creates. That's the future of Lincoln women's basketball."
After a steal by Tempary Gunter, Citlali Lopez made a pair of free throws with 2:30 to play to cut the Bearcats' lead to 68-67.
Southwest Baptist answered on the other end when Megan Rosenbohm - who scored a game-high 22 points - knocked down a 12-footer to push the lead back to three points. Then Azaria Nave scored a basket with just less than two minutes to play for Lincoln, making it a 70-69 game.
Lincoln came up empty on its first two attempts to take the lead, but the Blue Tigers came through on the third try. Nave drove the right side of the lane for a layup with 1:05 left, giving Lincoln a 71-70 lead.
After the Bearcats missed a shot on the ensuing possession, they were forced to foul. Lopez knocked down 1-of-2 free throws with :10.0 to play, clinging to a 2-point lead.
Southwest Baptist (11-7, 3-6 MIAA) shot 55.6 percent from the field through the first three quarters, but the Bearcats were just 5-of-18 from the field in the fourth. On the final possession, Rosenbohm was off the mark on two attempts, including an off-balanced shot as the buzzer sounded.
"I was down on one knee, hoping we could come up with one more stop," McWilliams said.
Erica Gibbons added 17 points for Lincoln, while Nave added 13 points, scoring the last five of the game. Lopez and Asia McCaskill added eight and seven points, respectively.
Lincoln (3-14, 2-8 MIAA) will play Thursday at Fort Hays State (14-4, 5-4 MIAA), which is ranked No. 23 but has dropped its last two games.
"Wins work magic," McWilliams said. "We've dealt with a lot of close games, and it's hard to stay positive when you're facing those situations. My message to them is you have to keep coming in every day, and every time we tip the ball, it's another opportunity."
GAME VIDEO
Highlights: Lincoln Women's Basketball vs. Southwest Baptist (1-21-17)