Hartsville, SC - Following a decisive home victory over conference opponent Carson-Newman on Wednesday, the Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team was on the road for a weekend match up with the Coker Cobras. The Railsplitters entered the game with a 9-4 record overall with a 3-1 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. The Cobras entered the game with a 6-6 record overall with a 2-3 mark in conference play. Averaging 97.1 points-per-game, the Coker was the fourth highest scoring team in division two men's basketball. Lincoln Memorial was allowing just 76.4 points-per-game defensively prior to the game.

From the tip, both teams began their assault from beyond the arc. Matthew Sells knocked down the game's first shot to give Lincoln Memorial its first lead of the game, 3-0. Coker quickly answered with a three pointer to tie the game. With two more three pointers to follow, the Cobras jumped out to a 9-5 lead. The Railsplitters began charging back, regaining the lead 12-11. With the score resting at 15-14 in favor of Lincoln Memorial, Coker connected on another three pointer, regaining the lead 17-15 with 14:25 on the clock.

Coker's lead swelled to 15 points at 39-24 on the heels of a 22-9 run. However, Lincoln Memorial battled back with a 12-3 run to cut the score back to within five points, 42-37. With the Cobras shooting 49% from the floor, including a 47% mark from long range in the first half, they outscored the Railsplitters 9-7 for the remainder of the first half to take a 51-44 lead into halftime. Although the Railsplitters out-rebounded the Cobras 36-19 in the first half, thanks to 16 rebounds from Martez Brown, it was the 22-0 points-off-turnovers advantage that allowed Coker to maintain the advantage.

To start the second half, Coker began the way it finished the first, on the offensive. The Cobras opened the back end on a 12-7 run to take a 63-51 lead. By the 11:00 mark in the second half, Coker's lead had swelled to 86-63, its largest of the game. However, Chase Rankin put his team on his back and began to battle back. A 19-8 run, spearheaded by Rankin, saw the Railsplitters draw back to within striking distance 94-82. As the game wore on, the Cobras eclipsed the century mark. However, the Railsplitters were not deterred, and drew back to within single digits, 100-93. It was the last time Lincoln Memorial would be within single digits as Coker went on to outscore the Railsplitters 18-16 in the final minutes of the game to secure a 118-109 victory in Hartsville.

Coker was hot all night, connecting on 57% of its shots overall, with a 43% mark from beyond the arc. The Cobras connected on 32-of-43 attempts from the charity stripe. Lincoln Memorial connected on 44% of its shot attempts from the floor, with a 28.6% clip from long range. The Railsplitters were 25-of-37 from the stripe. Coker forced 13 turnovers, scoring 31 points takeaways for the game. Lincoln Memorial dominated the boards, led by Martez Brown with a game-high 18, 54-33.

Chase Rankin had a career day, leading all scorers with 30 points. He added six rebounds and four assists. He was followed by Me'Kell Burries with 19 points, Jay Boyd with 17 points, Martez Brown with 13 points and 18 rebounds, tallying his eighth double-double of the season, Matthew Sells with 12 points, Jordan Walters with nine points and 10 rebounds, and Wes Enis with nine points.

With the loss, Lincoln Memorial moves to 9-5 on the season with a 3-2 mark in conference play. The Railsplitters will be back in action at home against UVA-Wise on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 PM.