Make no mistake, this was a blowout win Tom Smith won't soon forget.

Players and university officials surrounded the long-time coach at center court Monday after Missouri Western's 89-58 win against Lincoln University in the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at MWSU Fieldhouse. The celebration wasn't only for the first win of 2009-10 but also for the 399 that came before it at Missouri Western.

A commemorative sheet cake bearing the number "400" from the athletic department gave fans something to munch in celebration, but it was an official that left a lasting impression on the coach. Words of congratulations and respect? No. A black eye.

Shortly after the Griffons jumped to an early double-digit lead, an official hit Smith with a blow to the head as he made a call.

"I told him at halftime that he did what every other ref in the conference has wanted to do for the past 20 years," Smith said. "I thought he just nicked me, but I think he got me pretty good."

Western (1-1) quickly erased any fears that the celebratory cake would have to sit in the fridge for a day. The Griffons ran to a 11-0 lead, holding Lincoln (0-2) scoreless for the first 6 minutes.

"It feels good because that's what we practice, to get on guys with our defense and get our offense off the D," starting guard Mike DeWalt said.

DeWalt had seven assists and led a tight Griffon defense that forced 25 turnovers - 18 in the first half.

Lafayette alum Dominique Thuston provided the offense, scoring a team-high 22 points with nine rebounds. The forward struggled in the Griffons season-opening loss to Quincy with two points and totaled just six in two exhibitions.

"It's good to get out of the slump because I haven't been playing to the best of my abilities," Thuston said. "I'm just glad to be helping my team again."

Western led 34-18 at halftime and seemed poised for a lockdown defensive effort.

The Griffons pushed the lead to 51-26 with 13 minutes left before a false sense of security let Lincoln back in the game. The Blue Tigers ran off 10 straight points in the next 95 seconds to close the gap to 15 with a little more than 11 minutes to play. Guard Anthony Welch scored the last seven points of the run on a 3-pointer and two layups. Welch led the Blue Tigers with 22 points off the bench.

"I was really happy with us until we got a 25-point lead, then they went on the run," Smith said. "You can say that guys get comfortable, but you can't let your guard down. Fifteen is not safe in this game."

In the end, the Griffons 55-point second half surge proved too much. Marcus Rhodes added 17 points to Thuston's effort, and three others scored nine.

Local product Brandon Beck drew the night's biggest cheers in extended second-half action. The 7-foot center from Central High School scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds in 10 minutes of second-half action. Beck's first bucket was a crowd pleaser, as he tipped the ball to Rhodes after a Lincoln free throw, then ran 94 feet past all five defenders. Rhodes rewarded the effort with a pass just as Beck neared the rim for a finger-roll.

"We're going to get him some playing time because we don't have a lot of size," Smith said.

While the win gave the coach a milestone and the team confidence, both know better than to sit back. Western plays No. 17 Central Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. tonight at MWSU Fieldhouse. The Bronchos lost to Rockhurst 75-69 Thursday, but have qualified for the NCAA Tournament four of the past five seasons.

Even the milestone leaves another number on the horizon. Smith's 400th win at Western was his 570th overall.

"I'm glad I got it over with quick so it isn't hanging over my head all year, but now everybody is going to look at the next one," Smith said. "I don't know if I'll be around long enough to get that bigger number, 600. I guess we'll see what happens."

Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com