BANNER ELK, N.C. – Emanuel Terry put up a massive 22-point, 21-rebound double-double while Kamaran Calhoun and Deshawn Patterson combined for 32 points off the bench to help the No. 4 Railsplitters (1-0) open the 2017-18 campaign with a 100-80 win over the Lees-McRae Bobcats on Friday night at Williams Gymnasium.
 
Terry was one of six players to finish in double figures for Lincoln Memorial, reaching 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 24 foul-plagued minutes. He also notched just the 11th 20-rebound performance in program history to help the Railsplitters crush the Bobcats on the glass, 52-32.
 
The Railsplitters battled through foul trouble throughout the contest, finishing with 25 as a team. Four of Lincoln Memorial's five starters were whistled for four fouls apiece.  
 
Foul concerns forced the Railsplitters to rely heavily on their bench, and Calhoun and Patterson answered the bell. Calhoun obliterated his previous career high of four points by going 5-for-7 from the field and 7-of-9 at the charity stripe to score 18 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Patterson added 14 points with four assists.
 
"Obviously we are happy to get the win. We played through some adversity, a lot of it self-inflicted," LMU head coach Josh Schertz said after the team's season-opening win. "I thought we executed well down the stretch run and made enough plays to escape.
 
"I thought Emanuel (Terry) was terrific in limited minutes and Kam (Calhoun) and Deshawn (Patterson) were huge for us off the bench. Certainly there are a lot of things we can do better on both ends of the floor and hopefully we can play with a little more poise and intelligence tomorrow."
 
Trevon Shaw added 14 points but went 5-for-17 from the field, including a 4-of-12 mark from three. Dorian Pinson provided 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 23 minutes, while Cornelius Taylor pitched in 10 points and a team-high five assists.
 
The Railsplitters dominated the opening half, shooting 50 percent from the field while holding the Bobcats to a 36.7 percent mark, which included a dismal 2-of-11 effort from three, to take a commanding 17-point lead. That proved crucial for Lincoln Memorial in the second half, when Lees-McRae found its groove.  
 
Both teams struggled to score early with Lincoln Memorial holding on to a slim 11-10 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the half. However, back-to-back dunks from Terry kick started a 7-0 run that put the Railsplitters ahead 18-10 at the 11-minute mark.
 
The Bobcats whittled the lead down to four points on two separate occasions after that, but three-pointers from Taylor and Shaw put the Railsplitters up 33-23 with seven minutes left. Lincoln Memorial's lead continued to grow after that, as Taylor kicked in another three to make it a 39-23 game with 5:49 left in the half.
 
The Railsplitters would lead by as many as 20 points in the half before Kamil Williams made a jumper with time expiring to cut LMU's halftime lead to 53-36.
 
Lees-McRae shot over 53 percent and held Lincoln Memorial to a 43 percent effort in the second half to make things at least mildly interesting. The Bobcats pulled to within six points at 75-69 with just over eight minutes left in regulation, but the Railsplitters didn't let it get any closer than that and closed out the game on a 25-11 run.
 
Terry scored 15 of his 22 points and grabbed 11 of his 21 boards in the second half to help the Railsplitters hold off the Bobcats.
 
Jason Saintizaire led Lees-McRae with 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench. He was one of four players to post double-digit points for the Bobcats along with Kamil Williams (14), Lepreece Lynch (12) and Quay Kimble (10). Dylan Gollihar was the only Lees-McRae player with more than five rebounds in the contest, finishing with six.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The win pushes Lincoln Memorial to 9-1 in season openers under head coach Josh Schertz.
 
- The Railsplitters moved to 9-0 all-time against Lees-McRae and continued an impressive run of dominance against the Bobcats with the ninth win in the series by at least 17 points.
 
- The last 20-point, 20-rebound performance in program history came on December 2, 2015, when Pinson racked up 29 points and 20 boards in a four-overtime win at Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
- The Railsplitters assisted on 20 of their 34 field goals. Five players produced at least three in the contest.
 
Up Next
 
The Railsplitters will make a quick turnaround to face the King Tornado at 4 p.m. on Saturday. King opened its season with a 101-94 win over Tusculum in the first game of the SAC vs. Conference Carolinas Challenge on Friday evening.