HARROGATE, Tenn. – In a conference rivalry matchup, the Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team got into a defensive battle early, but came out on top, defeating in-state foe Carson-Newman, 73-57, on Wednesday night.
 
The Railsplitters (15-3, 12-3 SAC) and Eagles (13-7, 10-6 SAC) got to the basket early, but had to battle each other's defense to get there. Carson-Newman held the Splitters to just 34 first-half points, but Lincoln Memorial got off smart shots hitting 45.5 percent of their shots in the first while limiting the Eagles to 30.3 percent from the floor.
 
Lincoln Memorial dominated the backboard, hauling in 45 rebounds with junior Jordan Guest leading the Blue and Gray with 10 boards. Getting the ball around the floor often and quickly was in the game plan as the Railsplitters notched 16 assists in the contests while the Eagles only assisted on seven of their made baskets.
 
Getting the party started early on a slam from Jordan Walters and a pair of three-pointers from Guest and Chase Rankin gave the Railsplitters an 8-3 lead early. The Eagles clawed at the Splitter lead one just moments later. Over the next eight minutes, both teams combined for just 15 points, with LMU taking a 23-19 lead at the 5:22 mark. The Railsplitters held onto the lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 34-25 lead into the break.
 
Carson-Newman got things going out of the break, but Lincoln Memorial did not take long to find the net as they continued to slowly create separation between the programs. The Railsplitters saw their first double-digit lead at the 12:17 mark. Lincoln Memorial was able to keep their lead comfortably, securing the win, 73-57, over the Eagles.
 
Jordan Walters paced the Railsplitters with 17 points and nearly tallied a double-double with nine rebounds. Junior Jordan Guest followed Walters as the Rancho Santa Margrita, California native recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rounding out the double figure scorers for LMU are graduate student Alex Dahling with 14 points and redshirt sophomore Chase Rankin with 14 points.
 
Up Next
 
The Railsplitters will turn their attention to SAC foe Wingate on Saturday, January 29^th. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET with a special presentation for former Railsplitter Dorian Pinson.
 
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 2021-22 season.