Harrogate, Tenn.----The fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters moved to 24-1 on the year Saturday afternoon, defeating the visiting Wingate University Bulldogs 76-70 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. LMU, who has already clinched the regular season SAC title, moves to 24-1 overall and 18-1 in the SAC. The Bulldogs fall to 15-11 overall and 12-8 in the conference.
Wingate is tied with Newberry for second place in the league standings with two games remaining in the regular season. Carson-Newman and Queens are both 11-8 in league play. The two teams were scheduled to play Saturday, but had to move the contest to Monday due to snow. Wingate travels to Newberry Wednesday night.
Keenan Peterson had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead the LMU attack.
Luquon Choice added 15 points and five assists, going four-for-five from three-point range.
Dorian Pinson contributed 13 points for the Railsplitters, while
Lorenza Ross had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Junior guard
Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) had 17 points to lead the Wingate attack, while senior guard
Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) added 14 points. Sophomore center
Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 11 points and six rebounds, while freshman
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) also had 11 points to go along with five rebounds.
A Ross jumper put LMU on top 11-4 five minutes into the first half. A Daye jumper and two
Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) free throws helped cut the lead to three, but the Railsplitters stretched the lead to nine on a Pinson layup at the midway point of the half. Another Pinson layup pushed the advantage to double figures at 24-14, but Wingate answered with an 11-2 run, cutting the lead to one on a Lolar triple and Xavier Griffin layup with 6:31 to go.
Curtis Webb knocked down a jumper to push the lead back to five in the final minute, but sophomore guard
Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) answered with a jumper to cut the halftime deficit to three at 35-32.
A three-point play from Peterson gave LMU a 48-38 lead six minutes into the second half. Wingate cut the lead to five on Lolar's three-point play, but a triple from Choice pushed the lead back to 10 at the midway point of the second half. Another Choice three made it 57-44. A layup from Lolar cut the lead to nine, but Ross followed a Pinson three-point play with a triple to make it 65-50 with seven minutes to go.
Wingate would not go away, getting three straight Xavier Griffin buckets to trim the deficit to nine. A Keith Griffin bucket got Wingate to within seven at 67-60, but a Webb three-point play put the Railsplitters on top by 12. The Bulldogs responded with a 9-2 run, cutting the lead to five in the final 20 seconds. Daye had five points in the late flurry. A Peterson free throw with 13 seconds left made the final margin 76-70.
LMU shot 49.2 percent from the field, hitting eight-of-18 shots from beyond the arc (44.4 percent). Wingate shot 41.5 percent from the field, going three-for-19 from three-point range (15.8 percent). Lincoln Memorial held a slim 37-36 rebounding edge and an 11-10 advantage in second chance points. The Railsplitters outscored Wingate in the paint 40-36.
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, traveling to Newberry for a key SAC matchup at 8 p.m. Wingate returns home next Saturday, wrapping up the regular season at home against Brevard at 4 p.m.
