GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The No. 2 nationally-ranked and top-seeded Railsplitters (29-2) withstood a valiant second-half surge to knock off the three-seeded Wingate Bulldogs (22-9) 95-83 and claim their third South Atlantic Conference Championship title in the past six seasons on Sunday afternoon at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. With the tournament championship in tow, Lincoln Memorial, the four-time defending SAC regular-season champs, earns the league's automatic berth to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
 
The win also all but assures that Lincoln Memorial will host the 2016 Southeast Regional in its entirety at Tex Turner Arena, as the Railsplitters entered the SAC Championship firmly atop the Southeast Region rankings. The 64-team NCAA Tournament field and the sites for next weekend's regional tournaments will be announced via a live selection show at the NCAA.com at 10:30 p.m. The Railsplitters will enter the NCAA Tournament riding a 19-game winning streak, which is three shy of matching the longest winning streak in program and conference history.
 
Despite a slow start, the Railsplitters mostly had their way on offense against one of the nation's sturdiest defensive units, connecting on 30 of their 58 shot attempts for a 51.7 percent clip, which included a 9-for-16 mark (56.3 percent) from three-point range. Lincoln Memorial was also nearly perfect at the charity stripe, finishing 26-for-30.
 
Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) fell just four assists shy of a triple-double, posting 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and six assists. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) - the SAC Championship Most Valuable Player - also scored 20 points, finishing 6-of-10 from the floor with three triples. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) and Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) racked up double figures as well for the Railsplitters to cap their All-Tournament performances. Simmons scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds, while Steele had 15 points and seven boards. Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) chipped in eight points and four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
 
The Railsplitters missed four of their first five shots in the game and trailed 4-2 at the 16:53 mark following a bucket by Anthanee Doyle, but used six straight free throws and a basket from Pinson to power an 8-0 run and grab a 10-4 lead with just over 15 minutes left in the half. However, Wingate responded with a 10-2 spurt to take a 14-12 lead on a triple by Zeriq Lolar right before the under-12 media timeout.
 
The seesaw start to the half continued over the next passage of play, with LMU grabbing a five-point lead before Xavier Griffin closed the gap to 26-24 with 8:42 left. But that's when the Railsplitters asserted control, using three-pointers from Pinson and Choice to power a 12-1 run and assume a 38-25 lead by the 6:31 mark. The Bulldogs were able to pull within nine points minutes later, but Pinson scored on back-to-back possessions while buckets by Steele and Choice made it 46-32 in favor of the Railsplitters with two and a half minutes remaining in the half. Nicksen Blanc (Port Charlotte, Fla.) tipped in a layup as time expired in the half to send Lincoln Memorial into the break holding a 50-34 lead.
 
Despite trailing by 16 points, Wingate set the tone early in the second half, as Mike Baez scored the first eight points of the half for the Bulldogs to spark a 17-7 run, which would cut the Railsplitters' lead to 57-51 with 15 minutes left in regulation.
 
That was the first of seven times that Wingate would pull within single digits in the second half, but Lincoln Memorial answered at every turn.
 
With the lead trimmed to six, the Railsplitters used layups from Pinson and McMillion as well as a three from Steele and two free throws from Choice to power a 9-2 run and build the advantage back to 66-53 at 12:51.
 
Two minutes later, Kerigan Farley hit a free throw to get the Bulldogs back within seven points at 66-59, but three-pointers from Simmons and Choice increased the Railsplitters' lead to 75-63 with 7:45 to play.
 
Lincoln Memorial kept the Bulldogs at arm's length for the next several minutes. However, two free throws from Xavier Griffin followed by an Isiah Cureton layup closed the gap to 87-79 with two and a half minutes left. But Pinson scored four of LMU's five points over a 5-0 run that made it a 92-79 LMU lead with 59 seconds remaining on the clock. The Railsplitters then finished off the 95-83 victory at the charity stripe.
 
The Railsplitters locked down the Bulldogs defensively, allowing Wingate to shoot just 37.3 percent from the field with an 8-for-25 mark (32 percent) from three-point territory. The Bulldogs' final offensive output was bolstered by a 19-for-24 effort at the free-throw line.
 
Four Wingate starters finished with double figures. Cureton had a game-high 22 points with seven rebounds and three assists, while Baez, Keith Griffin and Xavier Griffin had 15 points apiece. Lolar contributed 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
 
Quick Hits
Lincoln Memorial's win avenges a 69-53 loss to Wingate in the 2013 SAC Championship title game...The Railsplitters defeated the Bulldogs for the eight straight time...LMU outrebounded Wingate 43-36 and outscored the Bulldogs 32-22 in the paint...Turnovers once again proved to be a bit of an issue for the Railsplitters, as they committed 15 miscues that led to 19 points for Wingate...The game was tied three times and the lead changed hands six times...Lincoln Memorial is set to make its sixth straight NCAA Tournament, when they will look to advance past the second round for the first time in program history
 
Up Next
The 2016 NCAA Tournament begins on Saturday, March 12. The Railsplitters will learn who their first-round opponent is and where they will play via a live NCAA.com selection show at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night.