CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In their first road test of the 2014-14 campaign, the 23rd-ranked Railsplitters (4-0, 2-0 SAC) put away the Queens Royals (1-3, 1-1 SAC) with a 15-4 closing run to capture a 66-51 victory in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.
 
Lincoln Memorial turned in its stingiest defensive outing of the season, limiting the Royals to 32.7 percent shooting overall (17-for-52) and a dismal 6.7 percent mark from beyond the three-point arc (1-for-15). LMU has held each of its first four opponents below 42 percent shooting from the field, while no team has shot better than 36 percent from three-point range.
 
The Railsplitters' defensive effort was most impactful during a pair of big runs that ultimately upended Queens' upset bid. A three-pointer by Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) at the 15:15 mark put the Railsplitters on top 10-4, but Queens kept it close as a Sean Morgan free throw trimmed LMU's lead to 15-13 with 7:40 remaining in the half. Pierce and Morgan traded layups on back-to-back possessions to make it a 17-15 game before Lincoln Memorial churned out an 11-0 run from the 6:53-3:01 mark, capped by a Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) bucket, to bulge the Railsplitters' cushion to 28-15. The Royals went 0-for-7 from the field over that stretch until Marquis Rankin finally broke LMU's lengthy run on a layup with just 2:20 left in the half.
 
Including Rankin's bucket, the Royals won the final three minutes of the half 8-3, as Lincoln Memorial's lead was cut to 31-23 at the break. That lead could have been higher if not for eight LMU turnovers which were converted into seven points by the Royals.
 
The Railsplitters threatened to pull away throughout the second half, but the Royals never folded until the final flurry. Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) made it a 37-27 LMU lead with a jumper at the 17:58 mark, but a pair of buckets by Morgan made it 37-31 just a minute later. Ross extended the Railsplitters' advantage back to 43-33 on a free throw with 13:44 left before four Queens free throws cut the deficit back to 43-37.
 
Another bucket by Sean Morgan pulled Queens to within four at 51-47, but that merely preceded what would become a 15-4 closing run for the Railsplitters. Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) sandwiched a Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) three-pointer with a pair of free throws and a jumper, which propelled LMU to a 58-47 lead with just 2:56 left. Jacarl Owens stopped the bleeding with a layup, but the Railsplitters countered with another 6-0 flurry, paced by four free throws, to essentially put the game out of reach. Pierce closed out LMU's victory at the charity stripe by rolling in a pair of freebies. The Railsplitters limited the Royals to a 2-for-10 effort from the field with a pair of turnovers over the final five and a half minutes of regulation.
 
The Railsplitters finished shooting 48.8 percent from the field (20-for-41), 45.5 percent from three-point range (5-for-11) and 72.4 percent from the free throw line (21-for-29). LMU narrowly won the battle of the boards, outrebounding their counterparts 39-32. The Railsplitters committed a season-high 16 turnovers, but LMU did a better job of taken advantage of miscues, scoring 13 points off of 12 Queens' blunders.
 
Luquon Choice continued his aerial assault, canning four of his six three-point attempts to lead all players with 18 points. Through four games, Choice is 19-for-31 from long distance, good for a 61.3 percent clip. Lorenza Ross chipped in 13 points and five assists in 39 minutes of action, while Curtis McMillion contributed eight points, six boards, two assists and two blocks in 19 minutes off the bench. Tim Pierce added eight points, while Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) pitched in seven points and tied a game-high mark with nine rebounds.
 
Queens was led by Sean Morgan, who poured in 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go alongside five rebounds. He was the only Royal in double figures as Rob Lewis and Jacarl Owens posted eight points apiece. Marquis Rankin and Jedarian Jackson factored in seven points apiece. Jackson led the Royals in rebounding and matched Peterson's game-high mark with nine boards.
 
The Railsplitters improved to 3-0 all-time against Queens while starting 2-0 in South Atlantic Conference play for the fifth straight season. The Railsplitters have won nine consecutive league games dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
 
Lincoln Memorial travels to Anderson, S.C. on Tuesday, November 25 to square off against the Anderson Trojans in South Atlantic Conference action. Tip-off in that contest is set for 8 p.m.