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.