HARROGATE, Tenn. - Lincoln Memorial (6-1, 1-0
SAC) picked up its first South Atlantic Conference win of the year
Saturday night with a 70-67 come-from-behind victory over
arch-rival Carson-Newman (4-4, 0-1 SAC) at Tex Turner Arena.
The Railsplitters put the first point on the board on a free throw
by Desmond Johnson (Lynch, Ky.) a minute into the game but it was a
fast-break dunk by D'Mario Curry (Detroit, Mich.) at the 18:35 mark
that got LMU going from the field. Curry's dunk sparked Lincoln
Memorial to a 6-0 run to open the game, and a 13-4 margin in the
first seven minutes of the contest.
The Eagles whittled the Lincoln Memorial lead to four with 7:37 to
play in the first half on a pair of free throws by junior guard
J.J. Wesley (Moblie, Ala.). The Railsplitters came
storming back and pushed the advantage to 11 on a trey by Carlos
Sanford (Durham, N.C.) with 4:58 to play in the period.
C-N cut the LMU lead again with time running down before halftime
and managed to narrow the deficit to two at 34-32 on a free throw
by sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville,
Tenn.) just before the buzzer.
At the beginning of the second half, the Railsplitters found
themselves in foul trouble helping the Eagles to stay within
striking distance until they took their first lead of the game with
13:49 to play on a free throw by senior forward Darron
Maxtion (Huntsville, Ala.). C-N pushed the advantage to
eight points at 50-42 with 8:54 to go before LMU made a run and
tied the game at 52 with 5:56 on the clock from a jumper in the
paint by Cameron Carden (Clearwater, Fla.).
After the two teams traded the lead over the next minute, the
Railsplitters went ahead for good when Carden struck again, this
time on a three-pointer to give Lincoln Memorial a 57-55 advantage.
The Railsplitters opened up a seven-point margin and held off
Carson-Newman down the stretch to come away with the 70-67 win.
LMU was led by Curry as he posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and five
blocks. Brandon Armstrong (Decatur, Ga.) finished the night with 14
points, while Justin Allen (Lithonia, Ga.) scored seven of his 11
points in the first half to give the Railsplitters their offensive
start.
Carson-Newman put five players in double figures despite the loss.
Senior forward Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) and
senior guard Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) each
scored 13 points while Wesley finished the night with 12 points.
Freshman guard Trey Caruthers (Kingston Springs,
Tenn.) and Sharp each contributed 11 points off the bench.
The Eagles will next host King at Holt Fieldhouse on Saturday,
November 12. The contest is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m., start.