BREVARD, N.C. -- In a script that mirrored last season's game at Boshamer Gymnasium, the 16th-ranked Railsplitters played their best second half of the 2015-16 campaign and found a way to extend their winning streak to eight games.
 
Lincoln Memorial (8-1, 4-0 SAC) turned a tie ballgame into a blowout by outscoring the Brevard Tornados (2-7, 1-3 SAC) by 21 points in the second half to race away with an 88-67 win in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action on Monday evening in Brevard, N.C.
 
The formula was nearly the same as the Railsplitters' last appearance at Boshamer Gym, when they found themselves facing a 44-43 halftime deficit before pulling away in the second half to capture an 87-75 win in February of last season.
 
Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.), Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) and Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) combined for 64 points and 11 three-pointers to lead the Railsplitters to victory. Steele put up a game- and season-high 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting coupled with nine rebounds, four assists and four steals. Simmons, a transfer from Brevard, compiled 21 points, four assists and a steal. Choice went 6-of-11 from three-point territory and added five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
 
Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) added 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) produced 10 points in 17 minutes off of the bench.
 
The Railsplitters finished shooting 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the field, 40.7 percent (11-for-27) from the three and 91.3 percent (21-for-23) from the free-throw line.
 
In a complete inverse of how the season has played out through the previous eight games, the Railsplitters struggled on both ends of the floor in the first half, going 11-for-28 from the field and 4-for-14 from beyond the three-point arc. The Tornados, meanwhile, had their way offensively, connecting on five of eight from three-point range and shooting 50 percent from the floor.
 
Lincoln Memorial trailed by as many as five points in the first half, as a layup from Demarcus Threatt put Brevard in front 21-15 at the 10:05 mark. The lead changed hands several times over the course of the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Brevard extending its lead back to 38-35 on two free throws from Omar El Diraoui with 26 seconds left. But Choice buried a three-pointer as time expired in the half to send the Railsplitters and Tornados into the half knotted at 38 apiece.
 
After a lackluster first half, the Railsplitters opened the second half with renewed vigor, holding Brevard without a field goal for the first seven minutes. Before the Tornados saw that first bucket go down, though, Lincoln Memorial had spun off a 17-5 run, capped by a McMillion layup at the 13:26 mark to pull ahead 55-43.
 
Brevard briefly fought back into contention and trimmed the deficit to 62-56 on a jumper by Alex Moe with 8:29 left, but the Railsplitters responded with a 10-0 spurt to extend their lead to 72-56 with 6:20 remaining on the clock. The gap would never be less than 14 points for the remainder of the game, while two free throws from Simmons ballooned the final deficit to 21 points with 21 seconds left.
 
The Railsplitters hit 17 of their 31 shot attempts in the second half (54.8 percent) and went 7-of-13 from deep, while holding Brevard to 38.5 percent shooting and a 1-for-7 clip from three-point range over that same span.
 
Threatt led the Tornados with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Moe notched 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Miles Leathers collected 12 points and went 4-for-7 from the field.
 
Brevard finished shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 40 percent from the three.
 
Quick Hits
Simmons scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, going 4-for-8 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe...Neither team missed a free throw in the first half, combining to go 19-for-19 through the first 20 minutes. Simmons ended that streak by missing the first freebie of the game 1:31 into the second half...The Railsplitters won the battle of the boards 34-29 and assisted on 19 of their 28 field goals. Brevard had 11 assists on 23 field goals...The Railsplitters converted 14 Brevard turnovers into 23 points. LMU initiated more than half of those miscues by recording eight steals...Lincoln Memorial committed just nine turnovers, finishing with single-digit turnovers for the fourth game this season...The Railsplitters improved to 17-3 all-time against Brevard and defeated the Tornados for the 10th straight time. LMU has not lost at Boshamer Gymnasium in the last five visits
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters must turn the page quickly, as they return to Tex Turner Arena to face the Wingate Bulldogs at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16. Wingate arrives in Harrogate boasting a 2-1 SAC record and a 6-1 overall mark that includes two wins over top-20 programs.