MARS HILL, N.C. -- The 19th-ranked Railsplitters (11-2, 7-0 SAC) turned in the second-most efficient shooting performance in program history and improved to 7-0 in South Atlantic Conference play with a 120-84 dismantling of the Mars Hill Lions (5-8, 1-6 SAC) on Wednesday night at Stanford Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial was far from its best defensively, allowing Mars Hill to make 44.6 percent of its shot, including a 14-for-26 mark (53.8 percent) from three-point territory. But the Railsplitters overcame that by connecting on 42 of 62 shots from the field, including 17 of 26 from beyond the three-point arc to finish shooting 67.7 percent. That marks the program's second-highest ever field-goal percentage in a game, lagging only slightly behind LMU's 69 percent mark in a win over Hiwassee in November, 2009.
 
Five players hit double figures for the Railsplitters, who were led by Gerel Simmons' (Accokeek, Md.) 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) compiled 20 points on a 6-of-9 mark from deep coupled with six rebounds and six assists. Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) racked up 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists while going 5-for-5 from the field, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) added 12 points in 17 minutes. Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-5 field goals.
 
Mars Hill was on fire at the start, making 10 of its first 15 shots, including the first five three-point attempts to take a 25-18 lead on a basket by Jalen Witherspoon with 11:39 remaining in the first half.  The Lions' lead reached nine points at 29-20 on a jumper from Kevin Haynes, but the Railsplitters stormed back in front with a 12-0 run, capped on a McMillion jumper at the 7:22 mark. The game was tied on five separate occasions over the remainder of the half, as an old-fashioned three-point play by Simmons tied it up for the final time at 47-47 with 90 seconds left in the half. That kick-started an 11-0 run that would send the Railsplitters into the break leading 55-47.
 
LMU shot 63.3 percent in the opening half and connected on 7 of 11 from three-point range, but Mars Hill kept it close by shooting 56.3 percent from the field and knocking down 9 of 11 from three over that same span.
 
The Railsplitters executed at a substantially higher level both offensively and defensively in the second half, where they turned a close game into a landslide victory.
 
A basket by McMillion followed by a Choice three-pointer extended the Railsplitters' lead to 60-47 right from the onset in the second half. The Lions whittled the lead back down to seven at 62-55 on a free throw by Witherspoon at 17:17, but a 10-2 spurt capped by a Choice triple increased the Railsplitters' cushion to 72-57 just over two minutes later.
 
A three-pointer from Brandon McCarter kept the Lions within 15 points (81-66) at the 12:23 mark, but the Railsplitters would put the game out of reach by spinning off a 13-0 run over the next four minutes. Choice and Simmons both hit three-pointers on the back end of that run, which ballooned Lincoln Memorial's lead to 94-66 with 8:39 to play.
 
A three-point play from Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) helped Lincoln Memorial hit the century mark and increase its lead to 102-70 with six minutes and some change still left in regulation. A short spurt by the Lions trimmed the gap to less than 30 briefly, but Hunter Spaw (Bean Station, Tenn.) and Javier Gonzalez (Fayetteville, N.C.) combined to hit three three-pointers in the final two and a half minutes to build the final margin of victory to 36.
 
The Railsplitters made 23 of their 32 shot attempts (71.9 percent) in the second half, including 10 of 15 from three-point range. Over that same span, they held Mars Hill to 33.3 percent shooting and a 5-for-15 mark from deep.
 
Justin Yeargin led the Lions with 24 points on five three-pointers. Witherspoon collected 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Patrick Monroe pitched in 11 points in 13 minutes off of the bench.
 
Quick Hits
The Railsplitters improved to 15-7 all-time against Mars Hill and defeated the Lions for the 13th straight time...Lincoln Memorial won the rebounding battle 41-28 and dominated points in the paint 42-14...The Lions converted just 12 of their 29 free-throw attempts in the contest, while LMU went 19-for-26 at the charity stripe...Yeargin had 15 points with five three-pointers less than eight minutes into the game for the Lions, but was limited to just nine points over the remaining 30 minutes...The Railsplitters exceeded 100 points for the seventh time this season and surpassed 120 points for the 20th time in program history. That was only the second-most points in a game this season, though, as LMU put up 123 points in that four-overtime win at Lenoir-Rhyne...Simmons hit the 30-point plateau for the second time this season and the first since his 37-point outburst against Carson-Newman
 
Up Next
A top-20 match-up is next on the docket for the Railsplitters, who welcome the No. 8 Queens Royals to Tex Turner Arena on Saturday, December 9 for a 4 p.m. tip. The Royals improved to 12-0 overall on Wednesday with a 94-79 win over Catawba.