AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team pulled away from Lander 76-63 Saturday afternoon in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
 
The No. 3 seed Railsplitters (28-4) clamped down on defense to limit the No. 6 seed Bearcats (22-10) to 32.1 percent second half shooting after leading 37-35 at halftime.
 
Lincoln Memorial led for the entirety of the second period, creating separation with a 10-3 rally after holding a 52-51 edge at the 12:14 mark. Lander would be fighting an uphill battle from there, trailing by at least seven points the rest of the way.
 
Quay Kennedy led a balanced Railsplitter offensive effort, contributing 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a game-best +12 plus/minus. Martez Brown went for 12 points and eight rebounds while putting the exclamation point on the win with a two-hand slam in the final minute.
 
Matthew Sells sparked Lincoln Memorial with nine points in the second half on his way to 11 points, two rebounds and two assists, and Jordan Guest posted 10 points. Chase Rankin stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals.
 
The Railsplitters shot 50 percent from the field (29-58) and 81.3 percent at the foul line (13-16) and limited the Bearcats to 42.1 percent shooting including 30.8 percent beyond the arc. Lincoln Memorial outrebounded Lander 35 to 27 and outscored them 40-30 in the paint. The Railsplitters limited their turnovers, committing only 8 to the Bearcats' 10.
 
Lincoln Memorial moves on to the Regional Tournament Semifinals and will face the winner of No. 2 seed UNC Pembroke (26-3) and No. 7 seed North Georgia (20-7) on Sunday at 5 p.m.
 
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Quay Kennedy