Rock Hill, SC - Two days after jumping to #8 in the nation and defeating Wingate in the South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal, the top-seeded Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team learned that it would be playing 5th-seeded rival Carson-Newman in the SAC Tournament semifinal on Thursday. It will mark the third time this season that the Railsplitters and Eagles have met. Lincoln Memorial swept Carson-Newman in the regular season, winning both on the road and at home. On Tuesday, the Railsplitters downed Wingate 85-67 in the first round. All five starters tallied double figures in the game. Wes Enis led all scorers with 26 points. He was followed by Jordan Walters with 17 points and nine rebounds, Elyjah Freeman with 16 points, and Thomas Allard and Connor Jordan with 10 points apiece. On Wednesday, Carson-Newman defeated UVA-Wise in the first round of the tournament in a high scoring affair, 104-95. The Eagles connected on a tournament record 17 three pointers made, shooting an astronomical 65% from long range throughout the game.

When the Eagles and Railsplitters met in early January, Lincoln Memorial got the best of Carson-Newman on the road, claiming an 89-80 victory in Jefferson City. Freeman erupted for 36 points and 11 rebounds en route to being named National Player of the Week by the NABC. Jordan added 13 points in the winning effort. Allard and Enis added 12 and 10 points respectively, seeing four Railsplitters finish in double figures. Lincoln Memorila shot a blistering 53.2% from the floor, including a 53.4% mark from long range, while limiting the Eagles to just 34% from long range on their home court. Most recently, the two teams met in Harrogate in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Lincoln Memorial once again defeated Carson-Newman. Enis, the conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, could not be stopped, erupting for 35 points behind seven three pointers. Freeman's performance reminded the Eagles of all the damage he had caused in Jefferson City, totaling 29 points. Jordan also added 14 to leave three Lincoln Memorial players in double figures for the game. In both regular season games, the Railsplitters held the Eagles well below their season average from beyond the arc.

Enis, who averages 20.7 points-per-game and 4.6 rebounds-per-game, leads Lincoln Memorial in scoring. He is the second leading scorer in the conference. He is followed in scoring by Freeman with 17.5 points-per-game and 8.3 rebounds-per-game. He is the highest scoring and rebounding freshman in the conference. All-Freshman selection EJ Smith averages 9.0 points-per-game. Jordan Walters is on the cusp of double figures, averaging 9.4 points-per-game to go along with 6.2 rebounds and a team-leading 3.2 assists-per-game.

The Railsplitters are currently fifth in the nation in field goal percentage, sixth in three point field goal percentage, and fifth nationally in offensive efficiency. Lincoln Memorial is ranked first in the conference in fast break points, defensive field goal percentage, free throws made per game, scoring defense, and scoring margin. Walters is 22nd nationally and first in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio. Freeman is 27th nationally, and third in the conference, with 10 double-doubles on the season. He is also 26th nationally in field goal percentage. Enis is 27th in the nation in scoring and 20th in the nation in three point field goal percentage, shooting nearly 44% from long range.

Tip-off between the Railsplitters and Eagles is slated for 12 PM in Rock Hill, SC on Thursday.

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