Columbus, Ga.----Lincoln Memorial University junior guard Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) tallied a game-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting to lift the third-seed Railsplitters to an 85-66 victory over the second-seed Wingate University Bulldogs in NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament second round action from the Lumpkin Center on the Columbus State University campus.
 
Wingate's successful 2016-17 campaign concludes at 26-6 overall with a second straight (ninth total) South Atlantic Conference Tournament title and 25th 20-win season added to the program's resume. Lincoln Memorial improves to 28-4 overall and advances to the Sweet 16 of the national tournament to play top-seed Columbus State Monday night.
 
WU sophomore forward/guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with 20 points on seven-of-16 accuracy from the floor. Wingate senior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) and junior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) finished with 10 points each.
 
Miscenko fell short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Graduate student point guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) added eight points, a season-high 10 rebounds and a game-high three assists. Sophomore guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) contributed nine markers and four boards.
 
For Lincoln Memorial, three other student-athletes supported Coker's efforts with double-digit points in the contest. Sophomore guard Emily Griffith (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) had 16 points and six boards, while senior center Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior guard Sydnie Anderson (Cleveland, Tenn.) added 11 points for LMU.
 
Wingate took the first lead of the contest on a jumper from Neely to give the 'Dogs an early 2-0 advantage in the opening quarter; however, LMU answered with a three-pointer from Coker at the 8:51 mark to grab a 3-2 lead and never trailed from this point forward. A basket from Coker gave the Railsplitters their first double-digit lead at 14-4 with 4:26 left. LMU maintained the double-figure advantage and led 23-9 at the break between quarters.
 
In the second quarter of play, the Bulldogs trimmed the margin down to a 10-point deficit three times before they trailed by only nine points on a free throw from Witherspoon to make the score 29-20 with 5:43 on the clock. LMU held the single-digit advantage with Wingate cutting the deficit down to as close as five points (37-32) with 1:27 remaining in the first half. Lincoln Memorial led 41-32 at the halftime intermission.
 
The Bulldogs began the second half with back-to-back two-point jumpers from Miscenko and Witherspoon to trim the margin down to 41-36 with 9:21 left in the third quarter. Lincoln Memorial then used a crucial 12-5 run to extend its advantage out to 53-41 with 4:20 to go in the frame. Wingate would not get any closer than nine points down the stretch. A jumper from Griffith gave LMU an 11-point lead (58-47) with 1:51 remaining. The Railsplitters led by double digits for the remainder of the contest. Lincoln Memorial led 66-51 entering the final quarter. The 'Dogs would not get closer than 13 points in the fourth quarter as LMU collected the 19-point victory.
 
Lincoln Memorial swept every major statistical category, outrebounding Wingate 54-41 in the contest. The LMU bench slightly outscored the WU reserves 21-18 and led 10-8 in the assist category. The Railsplitters shot 41.8 percent from the floor (28-of-67), while the LMU defense held Wingate to under 30 percent shooting for only the second time all season at 29.9 percent.
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate.)