Harrogate, Tenn.----The Lincoln Memorial University men’s basketball team built a 16-point half time lead and stayed in the driver’s seat, picking up an 84-69 South Atlantic Conference triumph over visiting Wingate University Monday evening in Tex Turner Arena. The host Railsplitters hit 55.6 percent from the floor (30-of-54), picking up their 10th home triumph in 11 tries this season.

Lincoln Memorial improves to 16-4 overall and 6-3 in the SAC, splitting the season series with their guests. Wingate falls to 11-9 overall and 4-5 in the SAC. The Bulldogs host Catawba College Wednesday night at 8 p.m. LMU entertains local SAC rival Tusculum College Wednesday night at the same time.

For Lincoln Memorial, sophomore forward Brandon O’Brien (Stone Mountain, Ga.) had 17 points off the bench. Thanks to the efforts of O’Brien and his teammates, the LMU reserves outscored the Wingate bench 38-14. Senior guard Stuart Miller (Harrogate, Tenn.) had 16 points for the second time this season against the Bulldogs. Railsplitter junior forward D’Mario Curry (Detroit, Mich.) contributed 11 markers and a game-high seven rebounds.

Wingate sophomore guard Jaime Vaughn (McDonough, Ga.) surpassed the 20-point plateau for the third straight game, leading all scorers with 23 points. Vaughn also collected five rebounds and three steals. Bulldog freshman forwards Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) and Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Turner topped the Bulldog rebounding charts with six boards.

Lincoln Memorial hit 17-of-31 field goals in the opening stanza (54.8 percent), sprinting to a 45-29 lead at intermission. Miller had 11 points and three assists in the first frame. He hit two-of-four from downtown as the ‘Splitters converted on four-of-seven three-pointers in the first 20 minutes. Alexander led all scorers with 12 first-half points.

The Bulldogs would get no closer than 12 points in the second half. A Turner jumper cut the Wingate deficit to 45-33 with 18:57 remaining in the contest. LMU responded by scoring nine unanswered points, capped by a Curry lay-up at the 16:35 mark. The inside hoop put the hosts up 54-33. Wingate did not score another field goal until sophomore guard Michael Bilal (Chadbourn, N.C.) hit a lay-up with 14:35 left, making the score 56-37 LMU.
Lincoln Memorial pushed the margin to 73-50 on a tip-in by freshman forward Dustin Craig (Knoxville, Tenn.) with 8:13 to go. The Craig put-back gave the hosts a 23-point bulge, their largest of the evening. Wingate freshman guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) hit a jumper with 4:05 left, cutting the deficit to 80-65. The Bulldogs would get no closer down the stretch.

The Railsplitters outrebounded the Bulldogs 34-30. Craig picked up five boards to support Curry’s rebounding effort. Craig also added six points and three blocked shots to his statistics ledger Monday. The hosts held a 36-24 advantage in points in the paint.

Wingate made 22-of-52 of its field goal attempts (42.3 percent). Vaughn hit eight-of-14 field goals, while the rest of the Bulldog team managed only 14-of-38 (36.8 percent). A 2009 SAC All-Freshman team member, Vaughn also knocked down three-of-five three-point field goals Monday.