HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The second-ranked Railsplitters (16-0, 10-0 SAC) burst out of the gate with a monster 21-5 run and never looked back, steamrolling the Queens Royals (9-7, 6-4 SAC) 101-69 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action on early Saturday evening at Tex Turner Arena. Lincoln Memorial outscored Queens 53-31 in the first half alone, taking over sole possession of the second-best start in program history with its 16th consecutive victory.
 
Six different players hit double figures for the Railsplitters, who finished shooting 52.9 percent from the field (37-for-70) while racking up a season-high 12 three-pointers on just 20 attempts (60 percent). Lincoln Memorial added a 15-for-23 clip at the charity stripe in route to surpassing the 100-point threshold fifth time this season. The Railsplitters assisted on more than half of their field goals, producing 20 of their 37 buckets via an assist.
 
Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) turned in the most productive performance of his debut season in the Blue and Gray, scoring a career-high 18 points, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out five assists and blocking three shots. Pinson finished 6-of-7 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers. Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) poured in 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting while matching the team lead with nine rebounds. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) collected 15 points with three triples in only 22 minutes off the bench, while Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) and Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Ross handed out four assists, while Peterson corralled five rebounds.
 
The Railsplitters completely dominated nearly every phase of the opening stanza, shooting almost 49 percent from the floor while limiting the Royals to just a 10-for-30 effort over that same span. Lincoln Memorial amassed a huge 34-14 rebounding disparity, grabbing 15 offensive boards alone in the period. Unselfish play was at the center of that offensive flourish, as the Railsplitters assisted on seven of their first 12 baskets and finished the half with 11 assists on 21 field goals.
 
Keenan Peterson and Dorian Pinson scored the first two buckets of the game to jump start what would become a breathtaking 21-5 opening run. Peterson's hot start was the highlight of that stretch, as the College Park, Ga. native rained in a flurry of shots in the paint and poured in eight early points. After a Sean Morgan jumper and two Rob Lewis free throws, the Railsplitters scored 11 of the next 15 points - capped with back-to-back buckets from Curtis McMillion - to extend the lead to 32-13 with nine minutes left in the half.
 
Queens got back on track briefly, using Jared Hendryx's traditional three-point play to trim the deficit to 37-25 at 6:28, but the Railsplitters countered with another huge run, this time of the 14-0 variety. Six different players scored over that stretch as the Railsplitters increased their lead to 51-25 with 2:45 left in the frame. Three free throws as well as a Jedarian Jackson triple helped the Royals undo a bit of the damage before the halftime horn blew.
 
The Railsplitters and Royals went back-and-forth through the first seven minutes of the second half, with Queens holding a slight edge and trimming the deficit to 63-44 on a Kendall Jones three at 13:40. Pierce restored LMU's 25-point cushion with back-to-back three-pointers in the next two possessions, but the Royals continued to fight, scoring seven unanswered points to pull the game to 69-51 with 11:44 remaining.
 
The Railsplitters went 5-for-6 at the charity stripe over the next two minutes to push the lead back to 74-51, and Lincoln Memorial would cruise from that point on. Two free throws by Pinson propelled the Railsplitters to an 83-56 lead at 6:22. At the five-minute mark, McMillion grabbed an offensive board and laid it in to push the lead to 30 points. A Hunter Spaw (Bean Station, Tenn.) three-pointer with 44 seconds left moved the Railsplitters into triple digits and accounted for the final 32-point deficit.
 
LMU nearly doubled up the Royals on the glass, logging a 52-27 rebounding advantage. The Railsplitters dominated the paint, logging a 40-26 disparity inside the box. LMU's bench outscored the Royals' second unit 42-26.
 
Queens finished the contest shooting 39.3 percent from the field (24-for-61), 35.3 percent from the three (6-for-17) and 60 percent from the free throw line (15-for-25). Marquis Rankin led all players with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Sean Morgan pitched in 12 points on a 5-of-9 mark. Jedarian Jackson came off the bench and scored 10 points.
 
With its 16th consecutive victory, Lincoln Memorial surpassed the 2011-12 team for the second-best start in the 105-year history of the men's basketball program. That winning streak is the longest current streak in Division II.
 
The Railsplitters return to action on Wednesday, January 21, traveling to Mars Hill, N.C. for a South Atlantic Conference battle against the Mars Hill Lions. Tip-off in that contest is set for 8 p.m.