NEWBERRY, S.C. -- A lockdown defensive effort and 45 combined points for Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) carried the top-ranked Railsplitters (21-1, 15-1 SAC) to an 80-68 wire-to-wire win over the Newberry Wolves (14-8, 8-8 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action on Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena. Lincoln Memorial improved to 8-0 on the road this season with the victory, while Newberry fell to 1-7 in its last eight games.
 
After allowing 50 percent shooting for the first time this season in Wednesday's stunning loss to Carson-Newman, the Railsplitters stonewalled one of the nation's most prolific scoring attacks. Newberry came into Saturday's contest ranked third in the nation in scoring offense at 93.5 points per game while also ranking third in Division II in three-pointers per appearance with 12.5. The Railsplitters held the Wolves to a season-low 68 points on 32.8 percent shooting. Newberry was never able to find its stroke from long range, going 5-for-33 for a dismal 15.2 percent clip. Lincoln Memorial was especially dominant in the second stanza, allowing only nine field goals on 33 attempts (27.3 percent).
 
Offensively, the Railsplitters rode the hot-shooting of both Choice and Simmons all afternoon. Choice broke out of his recent shooting slump - 8-for-29 in past two games - by pouring in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting. The Laurens, S.C. native, who scored a career-best 34 points at Newberry last season, hit six three-pointers, grabbed six boards and handed out three assists. Simmons, meanwhile, racked up 19 points with a 7-of-11 mark from the floor in just 24 minutes off the bench. Simmons buried five three-pointers in the contest.
 
Senior Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) also shook off his recent shooting woes by falling two rebounds and an assist shy of a triple-double. Ross finished the afternoon with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 39 minutes of work. Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) was limited to two points, but led all players with nine rebounds.
 
Lincoln Memorial concluded the contest shooting 52.5 percent (31-for-59) from the field and matched a season-high with 12 triples on 28 attempts (42.9 percent).
 
The Railsplitters finished with a 47-34 rebounding edge and outscored the Wolves 30-22 in the paint, but turnovers and free throws kept the margin tight throughout. The Wolves attempted 17 more free throws than the Railsplitters, accounting for a 13-point swing (19-6 in made free throws). Lincoln Memorial turned the ball over a season-high 19 times, contributing to 14 Newberry points.
 
Choice buried three quick three-pointers and Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) hit a fourth as the Railsplitters raced out to a commanding 16-4 lead by the 13:54 mark of the opening stanza. Newberry responded, though, as Xavier Hill, Demarkus Smith and Mitch Riggs carried a 12-4 run that cut the deficit to four points with 8:49 remaining in the half. The Railsplitters continued to keep the Wolves at bay with the long ball, using a pair of Simmons triples and a bucket by Ross to push back in front 32-22 at the five-minute mark. Three free throws from Ross extended the lead to 35-22, but LMU scored just five more points in the final three and a half minutes. That helped Newberry trim the halftime margin back to 40-36 with a 14-5 flurry.
 
Lincoln Memorial reasserted dominance quickly in the second half. The Wolves missed their first five shots of the period, while the Railsplitters went 5-for-7 over that span to pace an 11-0 opening run. That provided the Railsplitters with their largest lead of the contest at 51-36 with 17:36 to play, but Newberry promptly reeled off a 10-0 spurt to cut the deficit back to five points. The visiting unit briefly got back on track, scoring six straight points to regain a 12-point cushion, but another 8-0 flurry made it a 58-54 game with 8:18 to play.
 
Threes by Choice and Simmons shook the Railsplitters out of their slumber and extended the lead back to 64-57 at 7:35, and Lincoln Memorial continued to push, using a Simmons layup and basket by Peterson to bulge the lead to 70-59 with 4:29 to play. A pair of Mitch Riggs free throws pulled Newberry to within eight, but an Emmanuel Terry (Birmingham, Ala.) dunk wedged between treys from Choice and Simmons composed an 8-1 closing run for the Railsplitters.
 
The Railsplitters improved to 12-2 following losses since the start of the 2010-11 season and defeated Newberry for the fifth consecutive time. Lincoln Memorial moved to 13-6 all-time against the Wolves with the victory.
 
Demarkus Smith paced the Wolves with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Mitch Riggs scored 15 points and grabbed five boards in 21 minutes of work. Brandon Taylor also hit double-figures for Newberry, scoring 12 points in 22 minutes.
 
The Railsplitters travel to Greeneville, Tenn. on Wednesday, February 11 for a South Atlantic Conference battle against rival Tusculum. Tip-off in that contest is slated for 8 p.m.