HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The second-ranked Railsplitters (15-0, 9-0 SAC) led wire-to-wire and exploded late in the second half to capture a 78-61 victory over the visiting Tusculum Pioneers (1-13, 1-8 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday evening at Tex Turner Arena. With the win, Lincoln Memorial matched the second-longest winning streak to open a season in program history while also giving the Railsplitters sole possession of the longest current winning streak in the nation.
 
Wednesday marked the 167th all-time meeting in the storied history of the LMU/Tusculum rivalry. The Railsplitters continued its recent dominance against the Pioneers, winning the 14th straight head-to-head encounter, 10 of which have been decided by a double-digit margin of victory.
 
The Railsplitters shot nearly 51 percent in the contest, bagging 35 of their 69 shot attempts. That figure was hampered by a season-low three three-pointers on 14 tries (21.4 percent). On the other end, the Railsplitters held up their Division II leading field-goal percentage defense, limiting the Pioneers to just a 31.9 percent mark from the floor and a dismal 3-for-21 effort from deep.
 
Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) led the Railsplitters with 16 points on an efficient 8-for-12 clip from the field. The Savannah, Ga. native added five assists, a block and a steal to his stat ledger. Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) nearly logged a double-double with seven points and seven boards in just 14 minutes. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.), Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) contributed nine points apiece, and Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) collected eight points and a game-high four steals.
 
Eleven of the 14 players to appear in the contest for the Railsplitters scored at least two points. LMU doubled up the Pioneers in the paint, outscoring the visiting unit 56-28 inside the box. The Railsplitters' bench also played a huge role in the contest, outscoring the Pioneers' second unit 30-12. Lincoln Memorial was outrebounded for just the second time in 15 appearances this season, as Tusculum logged a 46-45 advantage on the glass.
 
A quick finishing burst helped the Railsplitters grab a slim lead at the half, offsetting what was an otherwise lethargic 20-minute stretch of basketball for the second-ranked team in the nation. Lincoln Memorial scored the first eight points of the game, not relinquishing a basket to the Pioneers until Mason Fox broke the scoring drought with a jumper at the 16:32 mark. Tusculum chipped away at the Railsplitters' early advantage over the next seven and a half minutes, making it a 16-13 game on a free throw by Fox with 9:42 left. LMU reassumed command of the board over the next minute and a half, scoring eight of the 10 points over that span to build a 24-15 lead at 8:09.
 
The Pioneers refused to go quietly, though, as Matt Shown pitched in four points to fuel a 9-2 run over the next five minutes, pulling Tusculum back to within two points at 26-24 with three minutes left in the half. The Railsplitters responded by scoring seven unanswered points - capped by a Tim Pierce three-pointer with 1:22 remaining - to build a 33-24 cushion. The last three possessions of the half saw Chase Mounce tally back-to-back baskets for the Pioneers, while Lorenza Ross scored his eighth point of the half to send LMU into the break with a 35-28 lead.
 
The Railsplitters hit four of their first five shots of the second half to build their largest lead of the contest at 43-31, but Tusculum answered with a nearly identical stretch, trimming the deficit to 47-42 at the 12:08 mark on a pair of free throws by Fox.
 
It was after Fox's freebies that the Railsplitters officially seized control of the game, turning a five-point lead into a 22-point cushion with a breathtaking 21-4 flurry over the next 6:16 of game time. Lincoln Memorial went 9-for-10 from the floor over that stretch, while Tusculum was just 2-for-10 with three turnovers. An emphatic, thundering jam by Paul Woodson with 5:52 left in regulation was the exclamation for that run. The Railsplitters never led by less than 17 for the remainder of the contest.
 
Chase Mounce carried the Pioneers offensively with a game-high 18 points, but he needed 18 shots to reach that number. Mounce added eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. Matt Shown collected a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Javon Price pitched in eight points on just 3-of-14 shooting.
 
The Railsplitters - who entered Wednesday's contest ranked third in the nation in scoring margin - notched their 12th win of the season by a final margin of more than 10 points. 

With its 15th consecutive win, Lincoln Memorial matched the 2011-12 squad for the second-best start to a season in program history. Next in line is the 2010-11 squad, which opened that year with a South Atlantic Conference record 22 straight wins.
 
Lincoln Memorial is back in action on Saturday, January 17, hosting the Queens Royals for a South Atlantic Conference tilt at Tex Turner Arena. Tip-off in that contest is set for 4 p.m.