HICKORY, N.C. -- Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) poured in 16 points to help the fifth-ranked Railsplitters (12-0, 6-0 SAC) ward off the gritty Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (3-7, 1-5 SAC) 67-55 in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action on late Saturday afternoon in Hickory, N.C. The win was Lincoln Memorial's ninth consecutive over the Bears, which extended the program's third-longest, season-opening winning streak to 12.
 
The Railsplitters attempted their second-fewest field goals of the season, finishing the contest 20-for-47 for a 42.6 percent mark, their second-lowest effort of the 2014-15 campaign. The three-point line wasn't any kinder to the visiting unit, as Lincoln Memorial knocked down just five of its 18 tries from deep. The free throw line proved essential to the win, though, as the Railsplitters went 22-for-27 at the charity stripe, shattering their previous season-high with an 82 percent clip.
 
Choice scored 10 of his team-leading 16 points in the second half, burying three three-pointers to go along with two steals, a block and an assist. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) scored all 10 of his points in the first half, finishing the contest 3-for-8 with a steal in 15 minutes off the bench. Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) posted 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, four assists and a steal, while Emanuel Terry (Birmingham, Ala.) sparked LMU with eight points and 10 boards in 14 minutes for the second unit. Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) logged nine points before fouling out after 22 minutes of burn.
 
For the first time during the 2014-15 campaign, the Railsplitters were outrebounded. With LMU's top three statistical rebounders - Peterson, Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) - battling foul trouble throughout the afternoon, the Bears earned a 34-29 advantage on the glass. The Railsplitters, who ranked second in the nation in rebounding margin coming into Saturday's tilt, have not been outrebounded since the first round of the 2013 NCAA Southeast Regional against UNC Pembroke on March 16. Despite that, the Railsplitters outscored the Bears 22-18 in the paint, while LMU's second unit manned a 24-8 advantage. The Railsplitters also committed a season-low seven turnovers.
 
A Peterson bucket put the Railsplitters in front 5-2 at 17:51, but Lenoir-Rhyne went on a 10-0 run to assume a 12-5 lead just over six and a half minutes into the first stanza. It was Simmons that pulled the Railsplitters out of their early funk, coming off the bench and scoring eight of his team's 11 points over the ensuing five minutes of play, including a trey at the 8:56 mark to cut the deficit to 17-16. Lucas Reed rolled in a bucket to put the Bears back up by three, but Peterson knocked in back-to-back jumpers to give LMU the lead at 20-19 with 5:52 left in the half.
 
After a Roby Noyes free throw tied the game at 20 apiece, the Railsplitters closed the half on an 11-3 run to carry a 31-23 cushion into the locker room. Terry sparked a 7-0 run over that flurry with layup and a dunk on consecutive possessions.
 
The Bears owned the opening minutes of the second stanza, making the game a dogfight for the Railsplitters down the stretch. Ross drained two free throws to extend the Railsplitters' lead to 33-23 with 18:57 left, but four different Bears scored during a 7-0 run that closed the gap to 33-30 just three minutes later. The remainder of the contest saw the Railsplitters bend but never break. A Noyes layup made it 35-32 before Choice, McMillion and Ross scored five unanswered points to bulge the lead back to 40-32. Noyes scored six straight points for the Bears to tie the game at 42-42 with 8:15 to play, but LMU answered with a 6-0 run to regain command.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne's final push was at the 4:17 mark, as two Trey Beverly free throws cut the LMU lead to 53-49. Just over two minutes later, the Railsplitters bulged their lead back into double digits at 60-50. The Bears would never cut LMU's lead to less than eight for the remainder of the contest, as the Railsplitters closed the home unit out at the free throw line.
 
Rob Noyes paced the Bears with a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, going 6-for-11 from the field and 6-of-12 from the free throw line. Jake Wilson was the only other Bear to record double-figures, tallying 10 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Will Perry chipped in nine points while playing all 40 minutes.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne shot 40.9 percent from the field and went 0-for-9 from three-point range. Saturday marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that an LMU opponent has failed to hit a single three-pointer, as Valdosta State went 0-for-13 on February 13 of that year. The Bears shot themselves in the foot at the free throw line, where they made just 19 of their 33 attempts.
 
The No.5 Railsplitters return to the court on Wednesday, January 7, welcoming Anderson to Tex Turner Arena for a South Atlantic Conference clash. Tip-off in that contest is scheduled for 8 p.m., as Lincoln Memorial looks to snap a three-game losing streak to the Trojans in Harrogate, Tenn.