HARROGATE, Tenn. – Redshirt-senior guard Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) poured in a game-high 29 points as the No. 23 Railsplitters (5-2, 1-1 SAC) waltzed to a 91-50 win over the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (2-4, 1-2 SAC) in the Tex Turner Arena opener on Wednesday night in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
Lincoln Memorial built a 15-point cushion at the half and never let off the brakes in the second stanza, outscoring the Bears 46-20 over the game's final 20 minutes to power the Railsplitters' most lopsided win in the 23-year history of the series.
 
"I thought we played with more focus and more purpose," LMU head coach Josh Schertz said of his team's second straight blowout victory. "We kind of built on the Virginia-Wise game. In the second half, we defended as well as we have for a half all year. Our help was better and our rotations were better. Offensively, we took care of the ball and only had five turnovers. If we take care of it, move it and take good shots, we've got a chance to score points."
 
Choice keyed Lincoln Memorial's offense with a game-high 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting and a 7-for-12 mark from three-point range. He scored 19 of his 29 points in the first half and added four rebounds with a pair of steals. Trevon Shaw (St. Helena Island, S.C.) chipped in 12 points in 23 minutes off the bench, while Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) produced 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.) contributed nine points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
 
As a team, the Railsplitters shot 50 percent from the field, converting 33 of their 66 shot attempts. Lincoln Memorial went 13-for-32 from deep for a 40.6 percent clip and finished with 18 assists and only five turnovers. Ten players had at least three points for the Railsplitters.
 
On the other end of the floor, Lincoln Memorial stifled Lenoir-Rhyne by holding the Bears to a 33.9 percent clip, including a dismal 4-for-17 effort from three-point range. L-R mustered just 20 points in the second half on 7-for-24 shooting and a 1-for-10 mark from three.
 
"We haven't had a ton of prosperity this year, but when we have had prosperity we've had trouble dealing with it," Schertz said. "What we talked about at the half was trying to come out and commit ourselves defensively and do a better job on the ball. I was really pleased with the second half overall. I thought that was the best 20 minutes we've played this season to this point."
 
The Bears kept pace with the Railsplitters early in the first half and grabbed a 6-5 lead on a jumper by Reed Lucas with 17:43 to go. However, Lincoln Memorial established firm control over the next stretch, using an 8-2 spurt to take a 13-8 lead on a three-pointer from Choice at 14:36. Lenoir-Rhyne would never lead after that but closed to within three points on a jumper by Jarvis Calhoun at 13:19. The Railsplitters had an answer for that as well and eventually pulled ahead 25-15 on a fast-break jumper by Choice at the 8:45 mark, which was set up by a monster block from Perry on the other end.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne would trim the Railsplitters' lead to eight points on three different occasions over the next stretch, but that's as small as the deficit would get, while Choice's fifth three-pointer of the half followed by a dunk from Perry pushed Lincoln Memorial out to a commanding 43-28 advantage with just over a minute remaining in the half. Choice buried two free throws with a second left to tidy up his 19-point half and send the Railsplitters into the break with a 45-30 lead.
 
The Railsplitters officially put the game away early in the second half, canning eight of their first nine shots to power a 21-7 run. Yet another three-pointer by Choice completed that flurry and gave Lincoln Memorial its largest lead of the game up to that point at 66-37 with just over 14 minutes to play.
 
The two teams were mired in a long scoring drought over the next stretch, but the Railsplitters used a 6-0 spurt comprised of buckets from Choice, Perry and Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) to build an overwhelming 75-41 advantage with nine minutes to go.
 
The Railsplitters never led by less than 30 points after that and pulled ahead by 40 at 84-44 on a three-pointer from Rhondi Hackett (Greenwood, S.C.) with 5:58 to play. The LMU lead would crest at 44 (91-47) before Ben Zemonek buried a three-pointer at the end of regulation to cut the final deficit to 41.
 
Zemonek was the only L-R player to finish in double figures as he posted 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench. Jarvis Calhoun and Jalen Variste had nine points apiece. The Bears' leading scorer, Reed Lucas, finished with just four points on 2-of-6 shooting.
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters play the second leg of a three-game homestand on Saturday at 4 p.m. when they hosts the Coker Cobras in South Atlantic Conference action. The Cobras have won three straight games and will be returning to the court for the first time since November 22.
 
Quick Hits
-The Railsplitters outrebounded the Bears 46-35. Dorian Pinson scored just five points but led Lincoln Memorial with seven boards.
-Lincoln Memorial has now won 14 straight games against Lenoir-Rhyne dating back to its last loss in the series on February 13, 2010.
-Wednesday night marked LMU's biggest margin of victory against a SAC opponent since the Railsplitters beat Coker by 49 points in January 2016.