BOX SCORE

Harrogate, Tenn.----Lincoln Memorial University senior forward D’Mario Curry (Detroit, Mich.) posted game-high totals of 29 points and eight rebounds as the Railsplitters defeated Wingate University 85-67 Saturday night in Tex Turner Arena. LMU is the number eight team in this week’s NABC NCAA Division II top 25 poll.

Both South Atlantic Conference teams are listed in the most recent NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings. Number one LMU is 18-0 overall and 10-0 in the SAC. Number six Wingate is 10-8 overall and 5-5 in the SAC.

LMU junior guard Darryl Garrett (Detroit, Mich.) had 13 points for the hosts. Freshman forward Vincent Bailey (Jennings, Fla.) had 12 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Brandon Armstrong (Decatur, Ga.) posted 12 points and six rebounds.

For Wingate, junior guard Chase Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had 15 points. Sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) recorded 11 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) had 10 points and five boards.

The Bulldogs put together an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 55-51 with 8:35 remaining in the contest. A tip-in by Turner concluded the flurry. Four different Wingate players scored in the run. The Railsplitters answered with a 10-0 run to put the game on ice. LMU junior guard Cam Carden (Clearwater, Fla.) started and ended the outburst with three-point field goals.

Carden’s second triple made the score 65-51 Railsplitters with 6:58 to play. Smith responded with two free throws on the other end, but the Bulldogs would get no closer down the stretch. LMU made six-of-six free throws in the final 4:12 to keep the Bulldogs at bay.

Lincoln Memorial led 43-33 at halftime, hitting 50 percent (13-of-26) of its first-half field goals. Wingate made only 31.4 percent (11-of-35) of its field goal attempts in the opening stanza. Bulldog freshman forward Robert Carpenter (Fayetteville, N.C.) hit a three-pointer to give the visitors a 10-9 lead at the 15:04 mark. Garrett answered with a triple at 13:46 to give the Railsplitters the lead for good. Curry had 14 first-half markers for the hosts.

Lincoln Memorial outscored Wingate 34-18 in the paint. The Railsplitters converted 14 Wingate turnovers into 21 points. The LMU bench (thanks to Curry and Garrett) outscored the Wingate reserves 46-13. On the evening, Lincoln Memorial shot 49.1 percent from the floor (28-of-57); Wingate could manage only 33.9 percent (21-of-62).

Curry hit 10-of-14 shots from the floor and nine-of-11 from the charity stripe. He added three assists, three blocked shots and one steal to his statistical ledger. Lincoln Memorial blocked five shots, while Wingate rejected four shots. Bulldog freshman Jeffrey Parker (Madison, N.C.) had two blocked shots for the visitors.