Harrogate, Tenn.----The 13th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters jumped out to a 19-4 lead Wednesday night en route to a 103-57 victory over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. LMU improves to 9-1 overall and 5-0 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the conference. It is Wingate's first setback against a ranked team this season, after a pair of wins over top-20 teams.

Gerel Simmons led the Railsplitters with 27 points, hitting nine-of-13 shots from the field and five-of-seven shots from three-point range. Curtis McMillion added 20 points and 10 rebounds, hitting eight-of-nine shots from the field. Jalen Steele contributed 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Luquon Choice had 12 points and seven assists.

Junior forward Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had 16 points to lead the Wingate attack, going three-for-three from the field and eight-for-nine at the free throw line. Juniors Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) and Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) contributed eight points each, while junior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) added seven points and five rebounds.

LMU scored the first 14 points of the night, taking a 14-0 lead on a Dorian Pinson jumper at the 14:47 mark. Buckets from Cureton and Griffin cut the deficit to 12, but a McMillion three-point play made it 19-4 with 13:24 remaining. A dunk from Choice put the Railsplitters on top by 20, but a pair of Cureton triples made it 37-22 at the 4:41 mark. A pair of Steele triples in the final two minutes gave Lincoln Memorial a 48-26 halftime advantage.

A Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) bucket trimmed the deficit below 20 early in the second half seven straight LMU points made it 56-32 at the 17-minute mark. A pair of threes from Doyle cut the lead to 18, but a 19-7 run gave the Railsplitters a 77-47 advantage. The lead would not go below 27 the rest of the way.

LMU shot 58.5 percent from the field, hitting 11-of-27 shots from three-point range (40.7 percent). Wingate shot just 29 percent from the field, hitting six-of-19 shots from beyond the arc (31.6 percent). The Railsplitters dominated the boards, out-rebounding Wingate 52-29, holding a 15-6 edge in second-chance points. LMU also held a 46-18 edge in points in the paint.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, traveling to Brevard for a 4 p.m. start.