HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Despite a sluggish start and an early first-half deficit, the second-ranked Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team got the road portion of its 2020-21 season off to a strong start with a convincing 78-57 triumph at Coker University Tuesday night. The Railsplitters (2-0, 2-0 SAC) outscored the host Cobras (1-1, 1-1 SAC) 42-27 in the second half of the South Atlantic Conference matchup to win their 34th consecutive game and improve to 15-0 against Coker.
 
After five ties and four lead changes in the first half, LMU controlled the final 20 minutes of action inside the DeLoach Center in Hartsville, South Carolina, behind 55.2 percent second-half shooting. The Railsplitters were active on the glass all night, owning a plus-eight rebounding margin and getting 14 second-chance points off of seven offensive boards.
 
Overcoming a 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) shooting night from behind the arc, LMU scored 48 of its 78 points in the paint and got 21 points off the fast break. Holding the Cobras to just 33.3 percent (10-of-30) second-half shooting, the Railsplitters claimed eight steals and scored 15 points off of turnovers.
 
"We have a long way to go as a team," head coach Josh Schertz said following the victory. "We need to find our best fit on the offensive end and be much more sound defensively."
 
"I haven't done a good job coaching this group so far as evidenced by the way we've played these first two games," continued coach Schertz. "We are not nearly as good as everyone thinks we are. We have a chance to be a really good team, but we have to soar with our strengths both individually and collectively. I think we have good guys who are well intentioned and competitive, now we have to play the right way and play together in order to become the best possible version of ourselves."
 
Led by junior guard Julius Brown's 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting, LMU got a career-high 15 points from redshirt sophomore guard/forward Xavier Bledson who coupled his scoring performance with five rebounds. Preseason All-American redshirt junior guard Cameron Henry dictated the offense with his smooth passing while posting a near triple-double of 13 points, career-high 10 assists and nine boards.
 
Both sophomore guard Jeremiah Keene and redshirt freshman Luke Bartemes provided an offensive spark off the bench, accounting for 12 of the Railsplitters' 20 bench points.
 
Following a scoreless opening minute and a half of play, Brown scored on a reverse layup off of an offensive rebound to set the tone. However, LMU found itself trailing by three at 14-11 after seven minutes of play.
 
With the score all knotted up at 16, a 7-0 Railsplitter run put the visitors ahead 23-16 with eight minutes to go in the first half. Once again things were tied at 28 with just under three minutes remaining in the half, but LMU closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a six-point (36-30) lead into the break.
 
The Railsplitters were held to 40.6 percent (13-of-32) first-half shooting and went 2-for-14 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Junior transfer forward Jordan Guest got the second half started with an old-fashioned three-point play following another offensive rebound, which led to a 9-1 LMU run. After only three minutes of second-half play, the Railsplitters had built their lead to 45-31.
 
A 12-7 spurt by the home team got Coker back within single digits at 52-43 with 14 minutes to go but LMU would respond with its most crucial run of the night. A host of layups and six points from Henry ignited a 12-point flurry of offense over the next four minutes of play, giving the Railsplitters a 19-point cushion with just over 10 minutes left.
 
LMU continued to hold a commanding advantage and took its first 20-point lead of the night when Keene connected on a three pointer to make it 70-50 with just under eight minutes to go. Allowing the Cobras to score just once in the final five minutes of the affair, the Railsplitters stretched their lead to the largest of game at 23 (78-55) behind back-to-back layins from Keene.
 
Coker was held to just three field goals in the final eight minutes and went scoreless for a 4:51 stretch late. LMU finished 16-for-20 at the foul line after going 8-for-9 in the first half. Limiting the Cobras to 38.3 percent shooting for the full 40 minutes, the Railsplitters shot 47.5 percent (29-of-61) for the game.
 
Chandler Lindsey led Coker with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting and eight rebounds, while Anderson Keller scored 10 points for the Cobras.
 
Up Next…
LMU returns from Thanksgiving and begins a four-game homestand Saturday when it hosts Tusculum University in a 4:30 p.m. tip-off. Next week, the Railsplitters step out of league play and welcome Division III Greenville University (Ill.) to Tex Turner Arena Wednesday, Dec. 2 for a 7 p.m. tip.
 
How to Follow
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 2020-21 season.