Harrogate, TN – The Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team will hit the road on Wednesday, Feb. 4, traveling to Greeneville, Tennessee, to take on South Atlantic Conference rival Tusculum University inside Pioneer Arena. Lincoln Memorial enters the contest with a 13-7 overall record and a 9-5 mark in league play, while Tusculum sits at 8-12 overall and 4-10 in conference action. The Railsplitters claimed the first meeting of the season between the two programs with a 67-60 victory in Harrogate in early January and will look to complete the season sweep on Wednesday night.
Lincoln Memorial has been one of the most balanced teams in the SAC, featuring multiple scoring options and strong rebounding across the roster. Nate Mims leads the team offensively at 11.1 points per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three-point range, adding 4.5 rebounds per contest. Walter Campbell is close behind at 10.6 points per game on an efficient 56.8 percent shooting clip and is one of the team's top rebounders with 5.5 boards per game. EJ Smith contributes 9.5 points per game and leads the team with 45 assists while also ranking among the leaders in steals. Jayden Spearman adds 9.4 points per game and leads the team with 44 made three-pointers, shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Drew Lewis has provided 8.5 points per game, while Armon Jarrard and Yassin Hussein each average 8.3 points per contest to give LMU consistent scoring in the frontcourt. Hussein has been especially efficient, shooting 57.3 percent from the field while pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game. Ashton Pennamon averages 6.5 points per game and leads the team with 51 assists, while also contributing nearly two steals per contest. Amhad Jarrard adds 6.1 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting, and Emmanuel James has been a force on the glass with 3.8 rebounds per game to go along with 5.4 points while shooting 65.3 percent from the floor. Grace Aluma rounds out the main rotation with 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
As a team, Lincoln Memorial averages 80.5 points per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three-point range. The Railsplitters also control the boards with 32.7 rebounds per game and have been active defensively with 221 steals and 77 blocked shots this season. Wednesday's match up represents an important conference test as LMU looks to continue its push up the SAC standings heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
