HARROGATE, Tenn. – Earning its second consecutive South Atlantic Conference victory, the Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team scored at least 55 points in each half en route to a convincing 111-72 blowout of The University of Virginia's College at Wise Monday night inside B. Frank "Tex" Turner Arena. The sixth-ranked Railsplitters, who improved to 9-1 overall and 7-1 in SAC play, knocked down 15 three pointers and scored 23 second-chance points in the 39-point triumph.
 
Getting a game-high 31 points from redshirt senior guard Devin Whitfield and a near triple-double of 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists from redshirt sophomore guard/forward Xavier Bledson, LMU held the visiting winless Cavaliers (0-8, 0-8 SAC) to 40.7 percent shooting for the night. All 16 Railsplitters got on the floor and LMU committed a season-low eight turnovers with 28 assists on 42 made baskets.
 
Winning their 41st game in the last 42 outings, the Railsplitters scored 54 points in the paint and outrebounded UVA Wise 46-28. Reaching the century mark for the fifth time of 2020-21, LMU shot 55.3 percent (42-of-76) from the field, 37.5 percent (15-of-40) from deep and went 12-for-15 (80 percent) at the foul line.
 
Facing the Cavaliers twice within just over 48 hours, the Railsplitters made the most of their first meeting by leaving hardly any doubt. Whitfield scored LMU's first 11 points and an early 8-6 deficit was UVA Wise's final lead of the contest. An 11-0 Railsplitter run put LMU up 17-8 six-and-a-half minutes in. The Railsplitters then extended their advantage to 14 at 32-18 with eight-and-a-half minutes to go before the break as Whitfield drained his fourth three pointer.
 
Closing the opening half on an impressive 19-4 run over the last 4:18, LMU took a commanding 26-point, 56-30 lead into the locker room. Shooting 56.4 percent (22-of-39) overall in the first 20 minutes of play, the Railsplitters went 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from outside and 4-for-6 at the free-throw line while holding the Cavaliers to 40 percent (12-of-30) first-half shooting. Whitfield had 25 of his 31 points in the first half alone.
 
A slow start to the second half saw 25 combined points through the first six-and-a-half minutes with LMU remaining in front by 23 at 67-44. However, the Railsplitters would quickly open things up by going on a 20-4 run over the next 5:21 of action. A layup from redshirt sophomore guard Chase Rankin put LMU in front by 40 at 89-49 with 7:34 to go.
 
Head coach Josh Schertz went deep into his bench early and the Railsplitters got strong play from their reserves down the stretch. An emphatic dunk by freshman guard/forward Jordan Walters, who also had a stuff at the rim and a three pointer on the ensuing offensive possession, a layup by redshirt freshman forward Simon Wilbar on a nice find from redshirt freshman guard Luke Bartemes and a layin off an offensive board by freshman Nekhi Smith were some of the highlights in the closing minutes.
 
LMU shot 54.1 percent (20-of-37) in the second half and went 8-for-9 (88.9 percent) at the charity stripe. Despite being held to 41.4 percent (12-of-29) shooting across the final 20 minutes, UVA Wise hit five of its nine three-point attempts (55.6 percent) to finish 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc for the game.
 
Ultra-efficient once again, Whitfield needed just 27 minutes to notch his eighth-straight 20-point performance. He went 12-for-19 from the floor and 6-for-10 from outside, not to mention grabbing four rebounds and making a pair of steals. Bledson recorded his near triple-double in only 23:34 of play, claiming a steal and committing just one turnover and zero fouls.
 
For the second time this season, redshirt junior guard Cameron Henry tied his career high in steals with five and played a key role in the Railsplitters' 21 points off of 14 Cavalier miscues. He finished with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Junior forward Jordan Guest scored 11, grabbed five boards and dished out a trio of assists, while junior starting point guard Julius Brown registered 10 points and also earned three assists. Bartemes handed out a career-high four assists in nine minutes off the bench and Smith made his first field goal in an LMU uniform.
 
UVA Wise guard Cameron Whiteside, who entered Monday as one of the top scorers in the nation averaging 25.4 points per game, was held to 7-for-18 shooting and a team-high 18 points. The Cavaliers also had five double-figure scorers with Briggs Parris (13), Isaiah McAmis (11), Kaeleb Carter (11) and Drew Greene (10) joining Whiteside.


 
Up Next
The Railsplitters head to Wise, Virginia, Wednesday night to face UVA Wise once again. Tip-off from inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center is set for 8 p.m. Due to COVID-19 circumstances within Catawba's program, LMU's scheduled home game against the Indians this Saturday, Jan. 23 has been postponed. However, the Railsplitters will now welcome Limestone University to Harrogate Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. affair.
 
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.