Wingate, N.C.----Lincoln Memorial University senior forward Desmond Johnson (Lynch, Ky.) sank two free throws  with five seconds remaining to put the game away and give the fifth-ranked Railsplitters a hard-fought 62-58 South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball  win over Wingate University on Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena.

The Bulldogs had a shot to take the lead on the previous possession, but senior guard Jaime Vaughn’s (Tallahassee, Fla.) three-point attempt rimmed out and Johnson secured the miss. With the win, LMU sweeps the season series over Wingate and moves to 18-2 overall and 8-2 in the SAC. With the loss, Wingate drops back to .500 overall at 10-10 and in to a tie for third place in the SAC at 6-4.

As they’ve done all season long, the Raisplitters once again had a balanced attack on Saturday. Johnson missed his only official field goal attempt but finished with a game-high 15 points, all from the foul line. Senior guard Cam Carden (Clearwater, Fla.) and sophomore forward Vincent Bailey (Jennings, Fla.) each contributed a dozen points, with Bailey adding 11 rebounds for his third double-double this season.  Senior guard Justin Allen (Lithonia, Ga.) added 11 points and a game-high four assists.

Junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) led the Wingate attack with 12 points and passed the 1000-point mark in his Bulldog career. The All-SAC performer has 1006 points entering Wednesday’s game at Catawba.  Vaughn had his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points, while junior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boyton Beach, Fla.) also added 10 markers. Sophomore forward Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) gathered a team-high 10 rebounds and contributed a game-high four blocked shots to go along with six points.

The first nine minutes of the game saw four ties and five lead changes before Wingate took a 17-15 lead on a Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) triple. LMU responded with an 11-0 run to take a nine-point lead. Four different ‘Splitters scored during the run to give the visitors a 26-17 advantage. Wingate pulled right back within four on a 7-2 run, thanks to four foul shots and a Matilus three-pointer.

The Raisplitters pushed the margin back to a 10-point lead on a Carden three and a Bailey lay-up. LMU would settle for a seven-point halftime lead after Bulldog freshman forward Mike Tyson (Kinston, N.C.) converted a three-point play to make the score 34-27 at the break.

The ‘Dogs came out inspired in the second half, making a 16-3 run over the first 5:30 of play to take a five-point lead. Matilus scored five straight to start the run. Lewis added his second three of the night to give Wingate their first lead of the second half, while Turner finished the spurt with a hook shot in the paint. The Bulldogs would stay in front until Allen converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give LMU a one-point lead with nine minutes remaining.

The next four minutes featured three more lead changes and three ties before Johnson gave the Railsplitters  a 56-54 lead with 3:38 remaining. After two Wingate misses, Carden drilled a three from the left wing to push the lead to five. Despite a scoring drought of 5:26, Wingate did not quit. Vaughn ended the drought with a jumper from the foul line and Turner followed a missed shot with a put-back to make the contest a one-point game with 27 seconds remaining.  Lincoln Memorial sophomore guard Chance Jones (Knoxville, Tenn.) made one-of-two at the line to give the visitors a two-point lead and set up the Vaughn three-point attempt.

Lincoln Memorial shot 38.1 percent from the field, marking the first time all season they have been held under 40 percent as a team. The Railsplitters were also held to a season-low 16 made field goals. Wingate shot 34.5 percent from the field, hitting five-of-13 from beyond the arc (38.5 percent). LMU held a slim 35-33 advantage on the glass and outscored the Bulldogs 22-16 in the paint. Wingate turned 20 Lincoln Memorial turnovers into 20 points and outscored the Railsplitter reserves 15-8.

The Bulldogs will play two straight on the road next week, starting with an 8 p.m. contest at Catawba on Wednesday night. Lincoln Memorial will travel to Tusculum Wednesday at 8 p.m.

(Wingate University Director of Broadcasting and sports information assistant Ryan Brown wrote this article. Brown is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.) 

Newspaper Box Score
#5 Lincoln Memorial vs Wingate
01/28/12 4 p.m. at Wingate, N.C.

#5 LINCOLN MEMORIAL MEN 62, WINGATE 58
#5 LINCOLN MEMORIAL (18-2 overall, 8-2 SAC)
Johnson, Desmond 0-1 15-18 15; Carden, Cam 4-12 0-0 12; Bailey, Vincent 5-11 2-2 12; Allen, Justin 3-5 5-7 11; Ross, Lorenza 1-4 2-4 4; Craig, Dustin 1-1 1-3 3; Jones, Chance 1-2 1-2 3; Jones, Wally 1-1 0-0 2; Martin, Tony 0-1 0-0 0; Troyli, Jake 0-1 0-0 0; Wakeley, CJ 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 16-42 26-36 62.
WINGATE (10-10 overall, 6-4 SAC)
Turner, Odell 3-11 6-7 12; Vaughn, Jaime 3-11 4-4 10; Matilus, Paidrick 4-9 0-0 10; Lewis, Eddie 2-3 0-0 6; Turman, Deion 3-6 0-1 6; Smith, Chase 2-3 1-1 6; Kincaid, Ethan 1-5 3-4 5; Tyson, Mike 1-3 1-1 3; Carpenter, Robert 0-0 0-0 0; Parker, Jeffrey 0-0 0-0 0; Daye, Ryan 0-2 0-0 0; Alexander, Quan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-55 15-18 58.
#5 Lincoln Memorial...........   34   28  -   62
Wingate.......................   27   31  -   58
3-point goals--Lincoln Memorial 4-9 (Carden, Cam 4-8; Jones, Chance 0-1), Wingate 5-13 (Matilus, Paidrick 2-4; Lewis, Eddie 2-3; Smith, Chase 1-2; Kincaid, Ethan 0-1; Vaughn, Jaime 0-3). Fouled out--Lincoln Memorial-None, Wingate-None. Rebounds--Lincoln Memorial 35 (Bailey, Vincent 11), Wingate 33 (Turman, Deion 10). Assists--Lincoln Memorial 7 (Allen, Justin 4), Wingate 7 (Kincaid, Ethan 3). Total fouls--Lincoln Memorial 18, Wingate 25. Technical fouls--Lincoln Memorial-None, Wingate-None. A-726

South Atlantic Conference men's basketball, Cuddy Arena, Wingate, N.C.

LMU is the #5 team in the NABC/Division II top 25 coaches' poll

Wingate visits Catawba Wednesday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m.)

Lincoln Memorial visits Tusculum Wednesday, Feb. 1 (8 p.m.)