HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The fourth-ranked Railsplitters (22-2, 18-0 SAC) survived a second-half shooting barrage to remain unbeaten in South Atlantic Conference play with a 107-97 victory over the Newberry Wolves (15-9, 10-8 SAC) on Saturday evening at Tex Turner Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial led by 21 points at the end of the first half, but the Wolves made things interesting in the second half by connecting on 22 of their 35 shot attempts (62.9 percent) and going 11-for-15 from three-point range. The Railsplitters were able to hold on, though, thanks to another exceptional shooting night, as they finished with 49.4 percent mark from the floor and went 18-for-40 from three-point territory, accounting for the second-most made three-pointers in program history. 
 
"I thought our guys showed a lot of heart and a tremendous amount of fight," LMU head coach Josh Schertz said. "It was a really tough game. Newberry played outstanding in the second half and made shot after shot. We couldn't get stops, but our guys did an incredible job of continuing to make plays."
 
Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) combined for 64 points to lead the Railsplitters' long-range shooting clinic. Choice hit 10 three-pointers for the second time this season, tying his and Jalen Steele's (Knoxville, Tenn.) single-game program record for triples, to pace a 32-point outburst. He coupled that with four rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Simmons also scored 32 points, going 11-for-23 from the floor and 5-of-10 from deep with seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
 
Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) pitched in 14 points and five rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting in 14 minutes off of the bench, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.) had eight points apiece. Terry also added six rebounds and eight blocks to his stat ledger, falling just one block short of tying McMillion's single-game record, which he set back in 2013 against Bob Jones.
 
"Lou and Gerel were amazing offensively. Emanuel's rim protection was as good as I've ever seen in here, and we've had some big-time shot blockers," Schertz said. "Not only did he block eight shots, but he changed and altered tons. Everybody played and contributed. It was one of those games where you needed everybody. We always say everybody on the roster has to be ready. Credit to our guys, it was an unbelievably difficult game, and I couldn't be prouder of how they played and competed."
 
The Railsplitters spotted the Wolves a 5-0 lead before churning out an 18-3 run to take an 18-8 lead on a pair of free throws by Simmons at the 15:12 mark of the first half. Newberry cut the LMU lead to 25-18 by the 10-minute mark, but a 14-3 spurt capped by a Choice three-pointer put the Railsplitters ahead 39-21 with 5:52 left in the half. Lincoln Memorial's lead would crest at 53-30 with 58 seconds to go before the home team went into the half with a 54-33 cushion.
 
Lincoln Memorial hit 10 three-pointers in the first half and held the Wolves to 36.1 percent shooting over that same span, including a 3-for-8 mark from three-point range.
 
The second half was a completely different story, though. Newberry hit five three-pointers before the game even reached the 16-minute mark to fuel a 15-5 run, which cut the Railsplitters' lead to 59-48.
 
The Wolves kept continuous pressure on the Railsplitters from that moment on, but Lincoln Memorial stood up to the challenge.
 
Three-pointers from Choice and Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) pushed the Railsplitters back ahead by 15 points at 65-50 with 14:19 to go. Lincoln Memorial's lead would hover in the nine to 14-point range over the ensuing passage of play until a jumper by Mitch Riggs and a three from Ronell Crockett cut it all the way down to 82-77 with a hair over six minutes left.
 
The Railsplitters answered right back with five straight points from Simmons, which made it an 87-77 game. The lead would balloon back to 99-84 by the 2:37 mark following a monster dunk from Terry and a three by Choice.
 
The Wolves would cut it to 99-89 with two minutes to go following a James Stepp three-pointer, but threes from Simmons and Choice bookended an 8-2 LMU run that sealed the victory.
 
Newberry shot nearly 63 percent in the second half with 11 three-pointers, but LMU kept pace with a 56 percent second-half shooting performance and eight threes.
 
"We had breakdowns here and there in transition and on the ball, but they were outstanding in the second half," Schertz said. "I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job defensively, but they weren't missing. Newberry has great players and if they play the way they did in the second half they are going to be a tough out."
 
Mitch Riggs led the Wolves with 20 points, while Xavier Holmes had 16 points. Ronell Crockett and Gerald Evans had 14 points apiece.
 
Quick Hits
The Railsplitters defeated Newberry for the seventh straight time and improved to 16-6 in the all-time series...Choice's 19 three-point attempts are tied with Jamie Shannon (1991) for the most in program history...The Railsplitters recorded 14 blocks as a team to fall one block shot of matching the program record, set against Bob Jones in 2013...Lincoln Memorial handed out 28 assists, the Railsplitters' most since dishing out 30 assists against Tennessee Wesleyan in 2014...The Railsplitters' 40 three-point attempts are the program's third-most ever…The Railsplitters hit 100 points for the third straight game and the 11th time this season
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters welcome the Mars Hill Lions to Tex Turner Arena on Wednesday night for a South Atlantic Conference battle at 8 p.m. Lincoln Memorial has won 13 straight games against Mars Hill.