BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) has been entangled in a lengthy shooting slump since the end of last season, but broke out in a big way to help the fifth-ranked Railsplitters (1-1) bounce back from Friday night's season-opening loss to King.
 
Choice - one of six players to score double figures for Lincoln Memorial - poured in 23 points and buried seven three-pointers to lead the Railsplitters to a 94-77 win over the Lees-McRae Bobcats (0-2) on Saturday afternoon in Bristol, Tenn.  
 
The Railsplitters shot 49.1 percent from the field and went 11-of-25 (44 percent) from three-point territory, and Choice spearheaded that effort by canning seven of nine three-pointers while going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. The Laurens, S.C. native also added a team-high eight rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks. That shooting display was a welcome sight for Choice, who was 6-for-38 from beyond the arc in his last seven games dating back to last season including a 1-for-6 effort in Friday's loss to the Tornado.
 
Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) added 17 points on a 7-of-8 mark from the free throw line to go along with five assists and two rebounds while Emanuel Terry (Birmingham, Ala.) pitched in 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) contributed 12 points apiece off the bench, while Webb also factored in five rebounds and two assists. McMillion added four rebounds and a team-high two steals to his stat ledger. Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) notched 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.
 
After an uncharacteristically loose defensive effort against King, Lincoln Memorial head coach Josh Schertz put the onus on his team to play with more passion, focus and intensity on that end of the floor. And for at least the first half, the Railsplitters answered the bell, holding the Bobcats to 26 points on 31.3 percent shooting and forcing seven turnovers. But Lees-McRae had their way offensively in the second half, shooting 50 percent and making 18-of-20 free throws to rack up 51 points.
 
A long run at the end of the first half was ultimately the difference for the Railsplitters.
 
Lees-McRae pulled to within one point at 12-11 on a layup by Cameron Redd with 14:57 remaining in the first stanza, but Lincoln Memorial used a 10-1 run capped by a McMillion jumper to extend the lead to 22-12 at the 10:20 mark. The Bobcats would score the next five points, though, to halt that run, and later cut the deficit to 27-24 on two free throws by Lepreece Lynch with five minutes left.
 
However, the Bobcats would score just one more time before the buzzer sounded on the first half, while Choice buried back-to-back three-pointers to jump-start a 16-2 closing run that staked the Railsplitters to a 43-26 halftime lead.
 
Steele knocked down a three and Choice drained two more three-pointers to propel the Railsplitters out to their largest lead of the game at 52-28 with 17:28 remaining in regulation. The outcome was never really in question after that, but the Bobcats were able to whittle the lead down to as little at 12 at 85-73 on a bucket by Jordan Turner with 1:41 left. Choice stonewalled any thoughts of a comeback, however, by draining his seven three-pointer of the ballgame in the ensuing LMU possession.
 
The Railsplitters outrebounded the Bobcats 41-29 with 13 offensive rebounds, which led to 20 second-chance points and 32 points in the paint. Lincoln Memorial also assisted on 17 of their 28 field goals while Lees-McRae handed out just six helpers on 26 buckets.
 
Lees-McRae finished shooting 40.6 percent from the field with a dismal 4-of-16 (25 percent) mark from three-point range. 21 of the Bobcats' 77 points were earned at the free throw line, where they shot 87.5 percent on 24 attempts.
 
Lynch led the Bobcats with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the free throw line in 26 minutes off the bench, helping Lees-McRae's second unit outscore the Railsplitters' bench 35-26. Redd had 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting while Presbyterian transfer Austin Anderson produced 10 points, but was limited to 4-of-12 shooting. Kendall Isler collected eight points and a team-high five rebounds while Josh Gaither put up seven points on five shot attempts.
 
Eleven different players scored for the Bobcats, who had 15 players make an appearance in the contest.
 
Quick Hits
The Railsplitters improved to 7-0 all-time against Lees-McRae, but matched their lowest margin of victory in the series...Lincoln Memorial avoided losing two straight games for the first time since February, 2012, when they fell to Anderson and Carson-Newman in succession...The Railsplitters went 27-for-32 from the charity stripe for an 84.4 percent clip. That was the first time they have hit at least 25 free throws on a better than 80 percent mark since November 30, 2013, when they went 34-for-38 against Bob Jones...McMillion has combined for 30 points in his last two games against Lees-McRae - he scored 19 vs. the Bobcats in last season's lid lifter
 
Next Up
The Railsplitters begin a three-game homestand when they welcome the Hiwassee Tigers to Harrogate for the Tex Turner Arena opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 19.