JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The No. 7 Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball program pushed their win streak to nine after defeated in-state rival Carson-Newman, 78-70, on Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
The Railsplitters got out to a slow start as the Eagles took an early 5-2 lead, but LMU was able to rebound to take a 15-7 lead after an eight-point run. Carson-Newman was able to end the Splitter run, but Lincoln Memorial was able to continue to make shots as they saw their lead rise to nine at the 12:39 mark. Both programs locked down on the defensive end going into the final stretch of the first half as the Railsplitters took a 29-26 lead into the break.
The Eagles came out of the break on fire, but LMU was able to keep pace as both programs went onto either tie or trade the lead multiple times over the next 10 minutes of play. Facing a one-point deficit, the Railsplitters' defense turned it up as they held the Eagles scoreless over three minutes of play as the Blue and Gray offense took a 64-61 lead after a four-point play from freshman
Matthew Sells. Carson-Newman tried to mount a comeback late, but Lincoln Memorial was able to hold off the Eagles for the win, 78-70.
Junior
Jordan Guest paced the LMU offense with 19 points while shooting 8-of-15 from the field. The Rancho Santa Margarita, California native also tacked on six rebounds and three blocks in the win. Redshirt sophomore
Chase Rankin finished the contest with eight points, eight assists and six rebounds. The Railsplitters also had three others in double figures as
Matthew Sells had 16 points,
Jordan Walters with 12 and
Alex Dahling had 11.
Up Next
The Railsplitters will close out the regular season on the road in South Carolina as they travel to Limestone for a South Atlantic Conference matchup on Saturday, February 26. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. EST.
Follow Along
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 through the 2021-22 season.
