Harrogate, TN – The Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 67-60 South Atlantic Conference victory over Tusculum University on Wednesday, inside Tex Turner Arena. Both teams entered the contest with identical 7-5 overall records and matching 3-3 marks in league play, setting the stage for a tightly contested match up that featured nine lead changes and two ties.
Lincoln Memorial shot an efficient 48.1 percent from the floor and used balanced scoring and timely defense to pull away late. The Railsplitters also held advantages in points in the paint (38-30), fast break points (18-11), and bench scoring (29-16), proving decisive in the seven-point win.
Nate Mims led Lincoln Memorial with a game-high 19 points, connecting on 7-of-13 shooting and knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Jayden Spearman provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting while drilling four three-pointers. Emmanuel James was perfect from the field, scoring nine points on 3-of-3 shooting to go along with a block and a steal in 11 minutes of action. Amhad Jarrard added nine points, five assists, and five rebounds, while also helping pace the offense throughout the game.
Lincoln Memorial trailed narrowly heading into halftime 33-32, shooting 50.0 percent from the field in the opening half. However, the Railsplitters got back to steady play after the break, maintaining composure during multiple lead changes and executing down the stretch to secure the conference win.
Defensively, Lincoln Memorial forced 22 Tusculum turnovers and converted them into 19 points, while also recording 14 steals and four blocks. The Railsplitters' bench depth and transition offense helped create separation in the final minutes, as LMU closed out the contest with strong defensive stops.
With the win, Lincoln Memorial improved its conference standing, improving to 8-5 (4-3) and continued its strong play at home improving to 7-1 on its home court, while Tusculum dropped to 7-6 overall and 3-4 in South Atlantic Conference action.
