HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) turned in a career high 20 points and the 10th-ranked Railsplitters (8-0, 4-0 SAC) turned up the intensity on the defensive end of the floor in a 79-71 victory over the visiting Coker Cobras (3-4, 2-2 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action on Saturday afternoon at Tex Turner Arena. With the win, Lincoln Memorial assured its first 8-0 start since the 2011-12 campaign.
 
After being hampered by a nagging injury through the first seven games of the season, never recording more than nine points in a game, sophomore swingman Curtis Webb went 5-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc, racking up a game and career high 20 points. Webb's performance was at the center of a bounce back effort for the Railsplitters from three-point territory, as the boys in Blue and Gray posted an efficient 8-for-18 clip (44.4 percent) just three days after making just four of their 23 attempts against Ohio Midwestern.
 
Three-point shooting and the free throw line fueled nearly all of the Railsplitters' offensive production, as the home unit went just 14-for-40 from inside of the three-point arc. The Railsplitters finished the contest shooting 37.9 percent, their lowest mark since going 22-for-61 (36.1 percent) in a loss at Carson-Newman in February, 2012. Lincoln Memorial was sent to the charity stripe 42 times, bagging 27 of those tries for a 64.3 percent clip. The Railsplitters have not attempted more than 40 free throws with at least 27 makes since they last played Coker, a 95-81 win in Harrogate on February 1, 2014.
 
Despite an off-shooting night, Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) poured in 16 points with four assists on 6-of-17 shooting. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) added 11 points apiece, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, seven of which were offensive boards. Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) recorded seven points and 16 rebounds in just 20 minutes of work.
 
The Railsplitters didn't let their sluggish offense affect their defensive effort, handcuffing the Cobras with a 25-for-67 clip (37.3 percent) from the field. Coker especially struggled from long distance, going just 4-for-19.
 
The Railsplitters found themselves facing a 25-20 deficit after a pair of Errick Bethel free throws at the 6:37 mark, as they went just 4-for-15 from the field with eight turnovers through the first 14 minutes of regulation. Lincoln Memorial put that stretch in the rearview mirror by closing the half on a massive 17-4 run. Simmons and Webb paced LMU over that span with five points apiece as the Railsplitters knocked down six of their final 12 attempts to carry a 37-29 lead into the locker room.
 
Lincoln Memorial shot just 34.5 percent in the half, but a 14-for-18 mark at the free throw line accounted for more than a third of LMU's points. Coker found it especially difficult to score in the opening frame, shooting 33.3 percent with a 2-for-10 clip from deep.
 
The Railsplitters continued to push the pace early in the second half as a Ross jumper and a McMillion offensive rebound and putback staked the home team to a 48-38 lead at 16:26. The Cobras cut the deficit back to 54-48 at the 12:15 mark on a Jordan Scott layup, but two Choice freebies and a Webb trifecta pushed the 'Splitters back out to a 59-48 cushion.
 
McMillion drained a pair of free throws with 7:15 left to give the Railsplitters their largest lead of the contest at 68-54, but the game was all but over as Coker turned in a furious closing rally to make things interesting down the stretch. Following McMillion's trip to the charity stripe, Coker ripped off a 16-6 run - paced by six points apiece from Errick Bethel and Jordan Scott - to pull within four at 74-70 with just two minutes remaining.
 
The final two minutes turned into a free throw battle, which was ultimately won by the Railsplitters. Simmons undid a bit of that 16-6 Coker run with two free throws at the 1:35 mark. Following that, the Cobras missed out on a huge opportunity as Jalen Watson and Aubrey Daniel were both sent to the free throw line in the next two possessions. That pair went just 1-for-4, while Curtis Webb alone went 3-for-4 on the line in the final 50 seconds to ice the game.  Daniel accounted for the only point for the Cobras in the last two minutes.
 
The Railsplitters finished with a 50-44 advantage on the glass, but Coker outscored the home team 32-22 in the paint.
 
Bethel and Scott led the Cobras with 18 points apiece. Bethel went 5-for-14 from the field, while Scott was 6-for-17. Jalen Watson posted a huge double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Trey James matched Peterson's game high mark with 16 rebounds and eight points. Trey Marshall tallied seven points and eight assists before fouling out in the closing minutes.
 
The two teams combined for 52 fouls as eight different players were whistled for at least four fouls. There were 70 total free throw attempts on the afternoon.
 
The Railsplitters improved to 3-0 all-time in the series with Coker, building on a 78-67 win in Hartsville, S.C. and a 95-81 win in Harrogate last season.
 
Lincoln Memorial breaks from South Atlantic Conference play on Wednesday, December 10, hosting VU-Lynchburg for a 7 p.m. tip at Tex Turner Arena.