WINGATE, N.C. – Junior Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) poured in a season high 26 points and the fourth-ranked Railsplitters (14-0, 8-0 SAC) went wild from three-point territory in an 81-62 thrashing of the Wingate Bulldogs (7-7, 4-4 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action on late Saturday afternoon in Wingate, N.C. Lincoln Memorial captured its 14th consecutive win to open the 2014-15 campaign, while the Bulldogs fell for the sixth straight time since December 17.
 
In 25 minutes off the bench, Simmons went 9-for-11 from the field and carried a lethal effort from deep by draining six of his eight three-point tries, leading all players with 26 points. That fell just five points shy of his career high, as Simmons racked up 31 points against Lees-McRae while playing for Brevard during the 2012-13 campaign. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) backed Simmons with 14 points, burying four of his seven three-point attempts in the contest. Behind Simmons and Choice, the Railsplitters finished 11-for-18 from three, tying a season high for three-pointers made on a season best 61 percent clip.
 
Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) got into the act with 12 points and six assists, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) added eight points and six boards in just 13 minutes. Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) led all players with 10 rebounds to go along with six points.
 
All told, the Railsplitters shot 52.8 percent in the game, going 28-for-53 from the floor. Saturday marked the fifth time in the last six games that the Railsplitters have surpassed 50 percent shooting. It was the ninth time in 14 appearances this season in which the Railsplitters have accomplished that feat.
 
After a back-and-forth start, the Railsplitters used a lockdown defensive effort to finish the half with a lengthy run that buried the Bulldogs in a hole in which they would be unable to recover. A bucket by Keenan Peterson pushed LMU in front 7-4 at the 17:38 mark, but a layup by Josh Dominguez and a Ryan Daye trey gave the Bulldogs a 9-7 advantage just one minute later. Lorenza Ross responded by scoring six unanswered points to put the Railsplitters back in front 13-9 with 13:49 left in the half.
 
The visiting unit continued to push the pace, extending the lead to 17-11 on a pair of Gerel Simmons free throws at 12:35. The Bulldogs fought back once again, though, scoring eight of the next 10 points over the next three minutes to square the game at 19 apiece with 9:26 left in the half.
 
The Bulldogs were 7-for-15 from the field through the first 10:30 of action, but the Railsplitters forced the home team into a 3-for-9 effort with three turnovers during the final 9:30 of the frame. Over that same span, the Railsplitters went 8-for-12 from the field and buried four three-pointers to pace a 21-7 closing run. Luquon Choice and Simmons scored 14 of the team's 21 points over that span, sending Lincoln Memorial into the half with a 40-26 advantage.
 
The Railsplitters didn't let up in the second half, using a Ross jumper and a trey by Simmons to take a 52-34 lead at the 14:22 mark. Dominguez cut the deficit to 15 points on a layup at 11:31, but back-to-back Simmons buckets ended an 8-2 LMU run that gave the Railsplitters their biggest lead of the game at 63-42 with 8:40 left. Lincoln Memorial cruised to the finish line, never leading by less the 16 points for the remainder of the contest. It was Simmons, of course, who put the final nail in the coffin, burying another three-pointer at 6:28 to make it a 71-49 game.
 
The Railsplitters improved to 14-9 all-time against Wingate, knocking off the Bulldogs for the fourth consecutive time and the 12th time in the last 14 tries. It was the largest margin of victory for either team in the series since Josh Schertz took over the program prior to the 2008-09 campaign. Prior to Saturday afternoon, only two of the past nine head-to-head encounters had been decided by more than 10 points.
 
Wingate shot just 38 percent in the game, going 21-for-55 from the floor and 1-for-7 from three. Lincoln Memorial won the rebounding battle 38-32, but Wingate outscored the Railsplitters 40-24 in the paint. The bench was the difference, though, as LMU's second unit accumulated a 43-22 edge over the Bulldogs' bench.
 
Ryan Daye led the Bulldogs with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Josh Dominguez pitched in 10 points in 18 minutes. Herbert Harrison collected nine points and six rebounds, while Xavier Griffin and Lee McCall added nine points apiece.
 
The Railsplitters will aim to match the second-longest winning streak to start a season in program history on Wednesday, January 14, as they welcome the Tusculum Pioneers to Tex Turner Arena for a South Atlantic Conference battle. Tip-off in that contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.