SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. – Sophomore Courvoisier McCauley knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer with 5.6 seconds remaining in regulation on a dish from Anthony Brown, but the Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team was defeated 99-89 in overtime by seventh-ranked West Texas A&M Friday at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The sixth-ranked Railsplitters (0-1) were outscored 13-3 in the extra five-minute period following a Buffs game-tying trey with 1.7 left in regulation.
 
The thrilling top-10 matchup inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena featured eight lead changes and nine ties as eight combined players reached double figures in scoring.
 
Trailing by nine with just over 11 minutes to go in the first half, LMU outscored West Texas A&M (1-0) 34-24 over the final 11 minutes of play in the opening period. An old-fashioned three-point play from redshirt senior guard/forward Kamaran Calhoun tied things up at 36 with just under five minutes to go in the first half, and moments later a pair of Calhoun free throws gave the Railsplitters their first lead of the game at the 4:26 mark.
 
Calhoun went on a personal 8-0 run during the stretch as LMU closed out the half on a 25-16 spurt, going 9-for-13 from the field in the final 8:21 of action. Leading by as much as eight (47-39) following a layup from redshirt junior guard Devin Whitfield, the Railsplitters took a one-point advantage into the break (47-46).
 
Much like the first half, LMU found itself down by seven after the Buffs outscored the Railsplitters 18-10 across the first 9:30 of the second half. Down by eight at 71-63 with just over eight minutes to go, LMU made a ferocious comeback sparked by McCauley's inspired play. Six consecutive McCauley points got the Railsplitters within two before a layup by redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Henry capped an 8-0 run and tied things up at 73.
 
A pair of free throws by senior guard Anthony Brown with 2:09 left gave LMU its first lead since the 14:20 mark at 78-77. An equalizing basket by West Texas A&M with 34 seconds remaining provided the Railsplitters an opportunity to break an 83-83 tie. McCauley did just that, pulling up from the right wing with about six seconds to go and giving LMU an 86-83 lead with a made three-point basket.
 
However, it was plenty of time for the Buffs' Qua Grant to hit a fast-break three with less than two seconds showing. The Railsplitters got the ball back with 1.7 but an intercepted in-bound pass and a West Texas A&M timeout gave the Buffs a chance at a game winner. Grant got a great look at a left-wing three at the buzzer, but it hit the back iron sending the game into overtime.
 
Held scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the extra period, LMU got only a free throw from Calhoun and an Anthony Brown layup for the remainder of the game. West Texas A&M shot nearly 43 percent from the field in overtime, collecting three baskets while going 7-for-10 at the free-throw line.
 
Shooting 47.3 percent (35-for-74) for the game, the Railsplitters made over 50 percent of their shots in regulation and held the Buffs to 14-of-36 (38.9%) from the field in the second half. LMU was 3-of-22 (13.6%) from deep as West Texas A&M went 10-for-34 (29.4%) from beyond the arc.
 
The Railsplitters' 18 turnovers led to 19 Buffs points, but LMU dominated the paint outscoring West Texas A&M by 28 (64-36). Behind Calhoun's 14 points, the Railsplitters got 24 points off the bench while the Buffs only got seven points from non-starters.
 
Calhoun went 4-for-7 from the field and 6-for-9 at the line as McCauley led LMU with 21 points and also collected six rebounds. Anthony Brown recorded his sixth career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Henry poured in 10 points and grabbed seven boards. In his Railsplitter debut, Whitfield scored nine points and had six rebounds. Redshirt senior forward Rhondi Hackett contributed seven points and six rebounds and sophomore guard Julius Brown notched eight points.
 
West Texas A&M guard Joel Murray led all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting and made a game-high four assists. The Buffs also got 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting from Grant, who registered a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, and 19 points from Derrick Geddis, who went 3-for-3 from deep. Jon'il Fugett reached double figures as well with 16 points and Eric Mosley hauled in nine rebounds and scored seven points.
 
The matchup was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
 
Up Next…
The Railsplitters take on receiving votes Davenport University from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST.
 
How to Follow
All games of the 2019 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic are broadcast live on the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Network. However, there is a fee of $12 per game or $20 to watch the entire tournament (8 games). Live stats for each game can be followed here. In-game updates will be available on LMU athletics' official Twitter account, @LMURailsplitter.
 
Tickets
Game tickets may be purchased at the gate at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.
 
About the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
The Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic, presented by Hillyard, is the nation's most prestigious in-season event for NCAA Division II men's basketball. The event includes a press conference, a panel discussion with the Hall of Fame Inductees, the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, a social event, and the fantastic games of the Division II Classic, which annually features some of the finest programs within Division II basketball. The event began in 2016, and was played in the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. In 2018, the event moved to Saint Joseph, Missouri, and the games are played inside St. Joseph Civic Arena. The two-day tournament takes place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2 with the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Induction to be held Thursday, Oct. 31 at the Missouri Theatre in downtown St. Joseph. This year's Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic features five nationally-ranked programs with seven of the eight participating teams receiving votes in the NABC Preseason Top 25. Joining the sixth-ranked Railsplitters in Missouri are defending national champion and top-ranked Northwest Missouri State, No. 7 West Texas A&M, ninth-ranked Southern Nazarene, No. 22 Daemen College, receiving votes Davenport University and receiving votes USC Aiken, in addition to Missouri Western.
 
Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Schedule
 
Friday,  Nov. 1
rv Davenport vs.  rv USC Aiken | 2:00 p.m.
No. 7 West Texas A&M vs. No. 6 LMU | 4:15 p.m.
No. 1 Northwest Missouri State vs. No. 22 Daemen | 6:30 p.m.
Missouri Western vs. No. 9 Southern Nazarene | 8:45 p.m.
 
Saturday, Nov. 2
rv Davenport vs. No. 6 LMU | 2 p.m.
No. 7 West Texas A&M vs. rv USC Aiken | 4:15 p.m.
No. 1 Northwest Missouri State vs. No. 9 Southern Nazarene | 6:30 p.m.
Missouri Western vs. No. 22 Daemen | 8:45 p.m.
 
*All times EST
 
On Social
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter basketball throughout the 2019-20 season.