LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. (January 6, 2011) — Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, Md./Western School of Technology) scored more than half of the points for the Lincoln University men's basketball team, but his effort was not enough as the Lions fell to Saint Augustine's College, 58-46.

Mooney scored a game-high 24 points, his fourth 20-point performance of the season to pace the Lions (1-7, 0-1 CIAA), but the Falcons kept the rest of his teammates in check in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener.

Perhaps the layoff hurt. Playing its first game in 21 days, Lincoln was 11-of-41 from the field but still had an opportunity to eke out a win to the credit of the aggressive defense that has characterized the 2010-11 season.

Quick strikes by the Falcons at the beginning of each half proved to be the difference. Richard Glover (Baltimore, Md./Havre De Grace HS) scored Lincoln's first points at 4:24, ending a 12-0 Saint Augustine's run to start the game. By halftime, Lincoln had chipped away to a one-point hole at 25-24 after Zane Oxley (Philadelphia/Martin Luther King HIgh School) knocked down two free throws in the final minute of the first half. However, Nick Chamblee converted on two chances from the charity stripe to give the Falcons a 27-24 edge at the break.

Lincoln would get within one with three minutes into the second stanza, but the deficit crept up to double digits midway through the period, and the Lions could only get as close as six following a free throw by Mooney as the game clock wound down to 5:11 remaining.

As the Lions grew fatigued and the foul trouble mounted, the Falcons began capitalizing on their size more efficiently, outscoring the Lions 11-2 in second-chance points with all of those buckets coming in the second half. SAC only out-rebounded LU, 36-30, a credit to the Lions' grittiness down low. Kamaal Mattavous (White Plains, NY/Woodlands)'s five boards led LU.

Joel Kindred had 20 points to pace SAC and Terell Burgess had a game-high 11 rebounds.

 Up Next

Lincoln hits the road for a difficult three-game swing beginning Saturday at Livingstone College. The women's game begins at 5:30 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C., with the men to follow afterward.  LU will not host a game until a Jan. 17 doubleheader with Winston-Salem State, also tipping off at 5:30.

— LU —