HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The 12th-ranked Railsplitters (15-2, 11-0 SAC) needed a blistering seven-minute stretch in the second half and a game-high 24 points from Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) to overcome the Tusculum Pioneers (7-9, 3-8 SAC) 82-77 in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action on Thursday night at Tex Turner Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial remained unbeaten in SAC play, topped Tusculum for the 16th straight time and improved to 125-42 all-time against the Pioneers in the 167th meeting between the two programs, but it was far from easy. For most of the night, the Railsplitters struggled to get into any kind of rhythm offensively, shooting 43.5 percent (27-for-62) from the field, including a 40 percent effort in the first half that was marred by a 3-for-15 clip (20 percent) from three-point range.
 
"They guarded us by not guarding us if that makes any sense," LMU head men's basketball coach Josh Schertz said. "They were playing off of us and giving up wide open threes trying to take away the dribble drive. We were wide open in the first half and couldn't score. But we knocked down a few in the second half and that was the difference."
 
The Railsplitters overcame a seven-point second-half deficit by shooting 48.1 percent in the second stanza, including a 9-for-17 mark (52.9 percent) from deep and a 15-for-21 clip (71.4 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
"At some point you have to take what the defense gives you and you have to make shots. We have good shooters," Schertz said. "They decided to play in that indecisive area and take away the paint because we are quicker than them. The shots were similar in both halves, but it made us indecisive and we struggled to make the right basketball plays in the first half. In the second half we were more decisive and aggressive shooting the ball."
 
Choice cashed in 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range to lead all scorers with 24 points. He paired that with four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) added 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting while matching a team-high mark with eight rebounds. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) and Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) contributed 13 points apiece with five combined three-pointers.
 
After a dreadfully slow start, the Railsplitters seemed to find their footing late in the first half, as a jumper from Choice and a layup by Steele put Lincoln Memorial out to a 23-17 lead at the 5:26 mark. The deficit later grew to 27-19 on another basket by Steele with 3:32 left in the half, but the Pioneers ended the first frame on a 14-5 run to carry a 33-32 advantage into the break thanks to Javon Price's buzzer-beating three-pointer.
 
The Pioneers scored the first six points of the second half to build their lead to 39-32 on a jumper from Matt Shown at the 17:46 mark. A basket from Webb followed by a Choice triple closed the gap to 39-37, however, Tusculum increased the lead back to 44-37 on another Shown basket with 14:54 left.
 
Staring up at their largest deficit of the game, the Railsplitters responded and ripped off a 31-9 run over the next seven and a half minutes to author a 22-point swing that ultimately sealed the win. That run began with an 11-2 spurt, capped by a Simmons free throw that put the Railsplitters in front 48-46 at 12:09. Zach Davis tied the game with an acrobatic layup in the next Tusculum possession, but a 20-5 LMU run punctuated by a Webb three-pointer at the 7:30 mark crested the Railsplitters' lead at 68-53.
 
Tusculum wouldn't go away, though, using a 9-0 run to cut the Railsplitters' lead to 71-65 with 4:09 left. Webb buried a three-pointer to extend LMU's cushion back to nine points, but a 6-1 flurry brought the Pioneers to within four points (75-71) with a little over a minute to go. Four straight LMU free throws pushed the lead back to eight points before Cory Fagan drilled a three to bring it back to 79-74 with 33 seconds left. It was too little, too late by that point, though, as the Railsplitters did just enough at the charity stripe to seal the victory.
 
"They say there's no such thing as a good loss or a bad win, and this game really tested that theory," Schertz said. "We're happy to walk out with a win, but this certainly isn't a win you get any deep satisfaction from because of how poorly we executed and competed."
 
The Pioneers finished shooting 45.3 percent (29-for-64) from the field, 45 percent (9-for-20) from beyond the three-point line and a perfect 100 percent (10-for-10) at the free-throw line.
 
Darius Carter paced Tusculum with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Kendall Patterson had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Chase Mounce finished with a double-double for the Pioneers with 14 points and 11 boards.
 
Quick Hits
The game featured eight ties and six lead changes...Tusculum outrebounded the Railsplitters 40-36 and assisted on 20 of their 29 field goals. Lincoln Memorial notched 14 assists on 27 baskets...The Railsplitters accounted for 17 points off of 17 Tusculum turnovers...Webb scored all 13 of his points in the second half and went 3-for-5 from long range to help fuel the victory...Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) matched Steele for the team lead in rebounds with eight. He added two blocks...The two teams finished dead even in points in the paint with 20 apiece...The Railsplitters improved to 73-11 all-time at home against Tusculum
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters venture to Hartsville, S.C. for a 4 p.m. tip-off against the Coker Cobras on Saturday, January 23. Lincoln Memorial defeated Coker 72-58 in the first meeting between the two teams back on December 5 at Tex Turner Arena.