HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Senior guard Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the final 10 and a half minutes of regulation to lead the 23rd-ranked Railsplitters (3-0, 1-0 SAC) to a 79-67 victory over the visiting Mars Hill Lions (3-1, 0-1 SAC) in the South Atlantic Conference opener Wednesday night at Tex Turner Arena. The win was Lincoln Memorial's sixth consecutive in SAC lid lifters.
 
The Railsplitters were mired in an absolute dogfight with the Lions - holding a slim 51-48 advantage at the 10:45 mark after a pair of Isaiah Cuthbertson free throws - before Lorenza Ross carried a breathtaking run that ultimately buried Mars Hill. In what turned out to be a 20-8 LMU flourish that propelled the Railsplitters to their largest lead of the contest, Ross had a hand in 18 of his team's 20 points. The Savannah, Ga. native kicked off the flurry with four straight buckets, then found Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) for a three-point play, knocked down two more field goals and connected with Choice again for a three pointer.
 
When all was said and done, the Railsplitters held a 71-56 lead with just 6:07 remaining in regulation. Mars Hill was never able to completely recover as Lincoln Memorial never led by less than 11 over the final six minutes of play.
 
Ross led all players with 19 points, reaching that mark on 9-of-14 shooting while adding three rebounds and three assists. Reigning South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week Luquon Choice pitched in 18 points on a 4-of-8 effort from long range, while Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) posted the most productive game of his senior campaign with 12 points and five boards. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) contributed 10 points with a pair of three-pointers off the bench, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) chipped in nine points and a team-leading seven rebounds in just 22 minute.
 
The Railsplitters finished shooting 53.6 percent from the field, canning 30 of their 56 attempts. Behind Choice's 4-for-8 effort, Lincoln Memorial was 7-for-14 from beyond the three-point arc. The Railsplitters knocked down 12 of their 19 free throw attempts (63.2 percent).
 
Prior to the Ross-led final run, the game was characterized by a series of back-and-forth runs that kept the score close throughout the first 30 minutes. The Railsplitters trailed 10-8 with 13:43 left in the first half, but Choice scored 10 points to pace a 12-4 run that propelled Lincoln Memorial in front 20-14 by the 11:06 mark. Emanuel Terry (Birmingham, Ala.) gave the Railsplitters their largest lead of the first half at 26-16 on a jumper with 8:26 left, but Mars Hill nearly erased all of that lead with a 14-7 flurry. Lincoln Memorial would score eight of the last 10 points of the half, though, to carry a 41-33 advantage into the locker room.
 
A Peterson layup opened up the second half and put the Railsplitters on top 43-33, matching their largest lead of the contest up to that point, but Mars Hill used a 6-0 run to pull within four at 43-39. As they did all night, the Railsplitters answered with an 8-0 run, capped by two Simmons three-pointers, to make it 51-39. Mars Hill made the penultimate run from the 12:44 mark until the 10:45 clip, rallying off nine unanswered points to pull within three at 51-48, which was laid to waste in the wake of Ross's heroics.  
 
Ross, who is averaging 17.3 points per game, only had four points on his stat ledger when he checked into the game with 12:25 remaining in regulation.
 
The win was Lincoln Memorial's 11th consecutive over Mars Hill, but it was the first in the previous six head-to-head encounters that was decided by less than 18 points. The Railsplitters had averaged a dominant 31.2 margin of victory against the Lions in the last six bouts.
 
Isaiah Cuthbertson paced the Lions with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while both Thomas Anderson and Patrick Monroe pitched in 13 points apiece. Justin Yeargin and Michael Carson collected eight points apiece. Mars Hill shot 36.8 percent (21-57) from the field, 28.6 percent (6-21) from three, and 82.6 percent (19-23) from the free throw line. The Railsplitters have held all three of their opponents this season below 42 percent shooting overall and 36 percent shooting from three.
 
The Railsplitters outrebounded Mars Hill 36-33 and outscored the visiting squad 42-30 in the paint. LMU's second unit also made an impact in the contest, outproducing the Lions' subs 26-12. The Railsplitters did relinquish 13 offensive boards which were converted into 16 subsequent points.
 
Lincoln Memorial hits the road for the first time in the 2014-15 campaign on Saturday, November 22, riding to Charlotte, N.C. for a South Atlantic Conference clash with the Queens Royals. Tip-off in that contest is scheduled for 4 p.m.