GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Leading up to the 2016-17 season, Lincoln Memorial University head men's basketball coach Josh Schertz thought that this year's team had little chance of matching the historically great offensive output of the 2015-16 team. But for the second straight game to open the new season, the Railsplitters (2-0) crested the 90-point threshold, as five players tallied at least 10 points to lead No. 2 nationally-ranked Lincoln Memorial to a 94-66 beatdown of the Lees-McRae Bobcats (0-2) on Saturday afternoon in Greeneville, Tenn. on the second day of the SAC vs. Conference Carolinas Challenge.
 
"Give credit to Lees-McRae," Schertz said. "Oftentimes, the hungrier team wins the small battles such as loose balls, long rebounds and all the hustle stats. Those were in their favor most of the night. I thought we were a blue collar team in spurts in the second half and that's the identity we have to be to become a good basketball team."
 
Less than 24 hours after dismantling the defending Conference Carolinas champion King Tornados by 22 points, the Railsplitters put forth another strong effort on both ends of the court. Lincoln Memorial shot a sizzling 57.1 percent from the floor, which included a 12-for-24 mark from three-point range. On the other end, the Railsplitters stifled the Bobcats by holding them to 39.3 percent shooting and a 7-for-18 mark from long range. Lincoln Memorial finished with 11 blocks, which is tied for the third-most in program history.
 
Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) led the way with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from long range. Choice also added seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks to his stat ledger. Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) contributed 18 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, connecting on seven of his 10 shot attempts. Trevon Shaw (St. Helena Island, S.C.) poured in 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Cornelius Taylor (Claxton, Ga.) and Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) posted 10 points apiece. Pinson also chipped in nine rebounds, six assists and two steals.
 
Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.) was limited to just three points in 24 minutes of action, but did record five blocks to power the Railsplitters' defensive effort.
 
Despite the lopsided final result, the Railsplitters got off to a slow start, as Lees-McRae opened on a 7-0 run on a three by Donte Falls and buckets from Jonathan Honore and Lepreece Lynch. Lincoln Memorial checked into the scoring column at the 17:47 mark on a basket by Shaw, but the Bobcats answered right back on the other end to take a 9-2 lead.
 
The Railsplitters would start to right the ship after that, using an 8-0 run to grab their first lead of the game at 10-9 on a three-pointer by Hunter Spaw (Bean Station, Tenn.) at the 14:52 mark. Lees-McRae responded, though, scoring six unanswered point to build a 15-10 lead with 13 minutes to go in the half.
 
But from there, the Railsplitters would use a lockdown defensive effort to build a lead that they would not relinquish, as Lincoln Memorial held the Bobcats without a field goal for nearly eight minutes. Lees-McRae's only offensive output over that stretch was four free throws, as the Railsplitters churned out a 19-4 run to grab a 29-19 lead on a jumper by Perry at the 6:11 mark.
 
Charles Dickson canned a three-pointer to end that spurt and spark an 8-2 Lees-McRae run, which trimmed the Railsplitters' lead to 31-27 with 3:36 to go in the half. However, Lincoln Memorial ended the first stanza on a 9-3 run, capped by a Choice three-pointer to go into the half with a 40-30 lead.
 
The Railsplitters carried that momentum into the second half, opening on a 9-0 run. Taylor scored sandwiched buckets around a three-pointer from Choice to kick-start that spurt, which put Lincoln Memorial ahead 49-32 with a little over 18 minutes left.
 
Lees-McRae hung tight over the next passage of play, trimming the deficit to 52-39 on a jumper by Falls, but the Railsplitters scored seven unanswered points to build their largest lead of the game, 59-39 with 13:41 left on the clock.
 
The Bobcats were never able to close the gap to less than 16 points after that, while a late 10-0 surge sparked by a Terry dunk and a Deshawn Patterson (Lenoir, N.C.) three-pointer pushed the Railsplitters out to an 88-60 lead. That would ultimately be the final margin of victory, as Nicksen Blanc (Port Charlotte, Fla.) scored with 54 seconds left to wrap up LMU's 94-66 triumph.
 
Lees-McRae was led in scoring by Lynch and Jordan Turner, who tallied 14 points apiece. Falls pitched in 13 points and five rebounds, while no other Bobcat finished with more than five points in the contest. Chad Hicks led Lees-McRae on the glass with six rebounds.
 
Next up, the Railsplitters trek to Evansville, Ind. to compete in the first annual Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, which is being hosted at the Ford Center. Lincoln Memorial faces Kentucky Wesleyan – winners of a NCAA Division II record eight national championships – at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 18.
 
Quick Hits
-The Railsplitters outrebounded Lees-McRae 40-33, but the Bobcats mustered an 11-9 advantage on the offensive glass. However, Lincoln Memorial scored an 11-9 edge in second-chance points.
-The Railsplitters used their size to dominant the paint, outscoring the Bobcats 36-22 inside the square.
-Eleven of the 14 players to appear in the contest for the Railsplitters scored at least two points. Fueled by Perry's 18 points, Lincoln Memorial's bench accumulated 39 points.
-The Railsplitters moved to 8-0 all-time against Lees-McRae. LMU has won all eight of those games by double digits.