HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The fifth-ranked Railsplitters (2-1) held the Hiwassee Tigers (4-5) to 19 points through the first 20 minutes of action and closed the first half on a 40-6 run to power a 105-63 victory in the Tex Turner Arena opener on Thursday night.
 
Four-fifths of Lincoln Memorial's starting lineup finished in double figures, led by Jalen Steele's (Knoxville, Tenn.) 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and a 4-of-5 mark from deep. Steele scored all 18 of his points in the first half while also grabbing three rebounds. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) also did all of his work in the first half, producing 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) scored 10 points and corralled seven rebounds in 11 minutes, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) notched 10 points, four boards and two blocks. Hunter Spaw (Bean Station, Tenn.) and Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) each accounted for nine points off of the bench, while Nicksen Blanc (Port Charlotte, Fla.) matched a team-high mark with seven rebounds.
 
In spite of the lopsided final score, the game resembled the two before it, as the Railsplitters completely dominated the first half before stumbling through a second-half lull.
 
The Railsplitters outscored the visiting Tigers 61-19 in the first half alone, shooting 62.2 percent and cashing in 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. On the other end, Lincoln Memorial limited Hiwassee to 28 percent shooting with just eight rebounds.
 
The second half was played to an even 44-44 draw, though, as Hiwassee grabbed seven offensive rebounds, knocked down four three-pointers and went 12-of-17 at the free throw line.
 
"We played with good intensity for a half," LMU head men's basketball coach Josh Schertz said after the game. "I think we got stops in 15 straight possessions at one point. We were able to dig in defensively and we did a good job on the backboards. When we decide to play, we're a good team. But we have a lot to improve on. We don't have the mental toughness right now to string two halves together and until we develop that mental toughness to play two halves, we're not going to beat anybody good."
 
A 40-6 run that consumed the final 11:25 of the first half put the Railsplitters comfortably ahead at the break. After a Kaseem Davidson three-pointer trimmed the Railsplitters' lead to 21-13 at the 11:49 mark, Lincoln Memorial scored seven unanswered points to extend the lead back to 15 points. A Kevis Jackson jumper stopped that 7-0 spurt at 9:25, but the Tigers would not register another field goal until Dess Culpepper's bucket with four seconds left in the half. In the interim, the Railsplitters scored 29 unanswered points and forced Hiwassee into a 0-for-9 effort from the field with four turnovers. By the time the dust had settled, the Railsplitters had established a 42-point advantage.
 
"We're seeing intensity, effort and things in spurts, and the spurt was longer tonight than it was against Lees-McRae," Schertz said. "But you can't do it in spurts and beat teams that are really good. And that's where we're at right now."
 
The gap was never less than 37 in the second half, but the two teams finished with nearly identical stat ledgers, as the Railsplitters had 16 field goals, 10 free throws and 23 rebounds, while Hiwassee had 14 field goals, 12 free throws and 21 boards.
 
The Tigers finished shooting 32.8 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 58.3 percent from the free throw line.
 
Kevis Jackson paced Hiwassee with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes off of the bench while also securing a team-high six rebounds. Denetrius Kitchens was the only other Tiger in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. D.J. Graves contributed nine points, two assists and two steals.
 
The Railsplitters posted a 51-35 edge on the glass including 16 offensive rebounds, which led to 23 second-chance points. Lincoln Memorial scored 54 points in the paint while limiting Hiwassee to just 20 inside of the square. The Railsplitters also converted 19 Hiwassee turnovers into 29 points.
 
Quick Hits
The Railsplitters attempted 13 three-pointers in each half, hitting five in the first and two in the second...After a breakout game against Lees-McRae, Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) struggled with his shooting stroke again, going 1-of-9 from the field including 0-of-4 from deep...Nine different players registered a steal for the Railsplitters, who racked up 12 takeaways for the night - Woodson led the way with three steals...The Railsplitters improved to 9-0 all-time against Hiwassee with a 6-0 mark at Tex Turner - they eclipsed the 100-point threshold for the sixth time in the series
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters kick off South Atlantic Conference play against arch-rival Carson-Newman at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24 in the 200th meeting all-time between the two programs.