Harrogate, TN – Four days after opening the season on the road in Young Harris, GA, the Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team opened its 2025-26 home slate, playing host to the Elizabeth City State Vikings. The Railsplitters entered the game with a 1-1 mark on the season after splitting games against North Georgia and Georgia College. Wednesday's contest was the first game of the season for the Vikings.

The teams began the game trading buckets, seeing Elizabeth City State take an early 5-2 lead. However, it wouldn't last long. On the heels of an 11-1 run, Lincoln Memorial rushed out to a 13-6 lead. The lead grew to double digits as the score climbed to 24-14 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The Railsplitters took a commanding 15-point lead at 31-16 with 7:31 left in the first half, but the Vikings chipped away, cutting back to within single digits, 35-26. However, Lincoln Memorial closed the half on a 12-5 run to take a 47-31 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Railsplitters shot 50% from the floor in the opening end of the game, posting a 37.5% clip from long range and a 75% mark from the charity stripe.

The Vikings looked to chip away at the hefty Railsplitter lead in the opening minutes of the second half, however, Lincoln Memorial remained aggressive, increasing the lead to 20 points in the opening minutes of the second half. The Railsplitters began to slowly pull away, jumping out to their largest lead of the game, 94-60, with 2:53 remaining on the clock. Lincoln Memorial cruised to a 97-68 victory, improving to 2-1 on the season.

Yassin Hussein was unstoppable on the interior, leading the Railsplitters in scoring and rebounding with 20 points and eight boards. He was followed by Jayden Spearman with 14 points, connecting on four three pointers. EJ Smith added 13 points and three assists. Nate Mims chipped in 11 points, four steals, and three rebounds. Drew Lewis was the fifth Lincoln Memorial player in double figure scoring with 10 points. He added five rebounds and three assists. Emmanuel James made the most of his 12 minutes of game action, tallying nine points and eight boards, including an emphatic dunk to put an exclamation point on the game. Walter Campbell was a dominating force, chipping in nine points and six physical rebounds. Ashton Pennamon added seven points, and Ahmad Jarrard and Grace Aluma added two points each.