Harrogate, TN - The Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team was back in action Wednesday night at home against the Tusculum Pioneers. Lincoln Memorial entered the game with a 13-5 record, including a 7-2 mark in conference play, and were riding a four game winning streak. Tusculum entered the contest with an overall record of 7-8 overall with a 5-4 record in conference play, riding a three game winning streak of its own.

Tusculum jumped out to a 5-0 start before the Railsplitters notched their first bucket of the game with 3:30 already gone off the clock. The teams traded buckets throughout the first half with the Pioneers maintaining a slim advantage throughout. However, with the score sitting at 31-21 in favor of Tusculum, Lincoln Memorial began to find its rhythm with Chase Rankin leading the charge. Rankin exploded in the final minutes of the opening half, giving Lincoln Memorial its first lead of the game at 34-31 with just :45 seconds remaining in the game. A free throw from the Pioneers would bring the game to its halftime score of 34-32, narrowly in favor of the Railsplitters.

As play resumed in the second half, Tusculum wasted no time in tying things up, knotting the score at 38-38 early in the second half. The teams traded buckets to raise the score to 42-42 before the Railsplitters strung together a 7-0 run to give themselves some cushion. The Pioneers halted the run with a three pointer, drawing back to with two possessions, 49-45. However, Lincoln Memorial went on another run, this time 8-0, to take a 57-47 lead with 6:08 left in the game. Tusculum added another three pointer to bring the game back to within single digits, 59-50 with 4:45 left in the game. Over the final 4:45, Lincoln Memorial allowed only nine total points, seven of which came on free throw attempts, while outscoring Tusculum 13-7 in the process, securing a 72-59 victory; their fifth in a row.

The Railsplitters were led in scoring by Me'Kell Burries with 21 points. He also added six rebounds. Martez Brown, the nation's leading rebounder, put on another absolute clinic in the paint, tallying his 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Lincoln Memorial outscored Tusculum 34-14 in the paint. Chase Rankin added 17 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Freshman Wes Enis added nine points, four points, and four assists. Jordan Walters added four points and eight rebounds. Luke Bartemes added two points to round out scoring for the Railsplitters.

With the victory, Lincoln Memorial improved to 14-5 on the season with an 8-2 mark in conference play, and will be back in action on Saturday at home, hosting Anderson. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 PM.