Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----The 14th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters outscored Wingate University 51-39 in the second half Saturday afternoon, turning a two-point halftime lead into a 79-65 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. LMU claims the outright regular season SAC title, improving to 22-2 overall and 18-2 in the conference. The Bulldogs drop their fourth straight game, falling to 13-11 overall and 10-10 in the SAC.

Chance Jones scored 21 points to lead the LMU attack, going eight-for-10 at the free throw line. Vincent Bailey added 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Keenan Peterson added five points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Lorenza Ross contributed 11 points and six assists for the Railsplitters.

Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack, going nine-for-nine from the free throw line. The rest of the Bulldogs went just six-for-22 at the free throw line on the afternoon as the team shot 48.4 percent for the game. Junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) added 15 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) had eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

The first half stayed tight early, with neither team leading by more than four until a Curtis McMillion layup gave LMU a 20-14 lead with 5:47 left in the half. A Daye layup, followed by a three from redshirt freshman forward Terrill Hilliard (Rocky Mount, N.C.) cut the lead to two at the 3:10 mark. Back-to-back Bailey buckets pushed the LMU lead back to five, but a triple from Daye at the buzzer cut halftime lead to two at 28-26.

The Railsplitters used a 10-2 run early in the second half, taking a 43-34 lead on a triple from Jones at the 16:08 mark. A pair of free throws from Jones with 12:22 remaining made it 53-39. The 'Dogs responded with an 8-0 run to trim the lead to six. Griffin started it with a layup, while Daye followed with a three-point play. Turman capped the flurry with a dunk and a free throw to make it 53-47.

Lincoln Memorial had the answer, pushing the lead back to 10 on a pair of Peterson free throws at the 9:27 mark. Tim Pierce knocked down a triple to push the advantage to 13 at the 7:21 mark, while back-to-back Bailey layups put the 'Splitters on top 70-52 with 5:47 remaining. Wingate would get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.

LMU shot 40.3 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-19 shots from three-point range (36.8 percent). Wingate shot 32.4 percent on the afternoon, going two-for-13 from beyond the arc (15.4 percent). The Railsplitters held a 54-51 rebounding edge, while the Bulldogs held a 20-9 advantage in second chance points.

Wingate is back in action Wednesday, hosting Newberry at 8 p.m.