HARROGATE, Tenn. --- Desmond Johnson recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 2 seed Lincoln Memorial to a 72-58 win over seventh-seeded Tusculum in a quarterfinal round game of the 2012 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
With the win, LMU (ranked No. 17 in NCAA Division II) advances to Saturday's semifinal game as they will take on No. 3 seed Wingate at 8 p.m. from the Tarlton Complex in Hickory, N.C. Tusculum wraps up its season at 11-16 overall, while winning three of its last four contests.
TC senior Kevin Vest capped his collegiate career with his 19-point effort, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Senior Justin Steigerwald added 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, while junior Nicholas Spinks accounted for 10 markers on 5-of-7 shooting.
LMU's CJ Wakeley and Lorenza Ross finished with 15 points apiece, while Wally Jones scored eight points for the defending SAC Tournament Champions.
LMU, who never trailed in the contest, scored six straight points to take a 15-7 lead at the 13:51 mark of the first half. Vest cut the deficit to five with his three-pointer as TC trailed 15-10.
With LMU leading 27-20 with 5:33 remaining, the Railsplitters went on a 13-5 run over the next four minutes to take its largest lead of the half at 40-25. Vest would can a three-pointer in the final minute as LMU carried a 40-28 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Tusculum would trim the deficit to 11 following a basket by Vest, but the Railsplitters would score nine unanswered points, sparked by a Johnson 3-point play as LMU led by it largest margin, 50-30 with 16:43 remaining in the contest.
TC would cut the LMU lead to 13 points on two occasions, including 64-51 with 5:16 left following a pair of free throws by freshman Darius Carter, but that would be as close as the Pioneers would get.
LMU shot 56 percent from the floor, while limiting Tusculum to shoot 43.5 percent. LMU, who entered the game leading the nation in rebounding margin, out-boarded the Pioneers 32-19.
Wednesday's game marked the final contest in a Tusculum uniform for four Pioneer seniors.
Vest finishes his two-year career at Tusculum with 666 points in his 57 games (11.7 ppg), including 415 this season (15.4 ppg). His .863 free throw percentage this year was the fourth-best in school single-season history, while his career 83.9 percent shooting from the stripe is fifth in TC history and eighth in the SAC record book.
Anton Tuz made his final appearance as a Pioneer with two points in Wednesday's game. Tuz played in 37 games in his three years at Tusculum where he totaled 69 points and 37 rebounds.
Steigerwald completes his 103-game career at Tusculum. One of the toughest defenders and best distributors of the basketball in school history, Steigerwald ends his collegiate career with 673 points and 394 rebounds. He finishes his career with 386 assists, which are the fourth most in school history and 10th best in conference history. He also finished tied for fifth all-time with 47 career blocked shots.
Senior Tommy Klempin was held to seven points in his collegiate finale. In his 113 games at Tusculum, he recorded 696 points, 381 assists, 40 blocked shots and 34 steals. He finished the season shooting 62.3 percent from the field, which is the fourth best percentage in school history.
As a team, the Pioneers finished the year shooting 73.7 percent from the free throw line, which is the fifth-best percentage in the Tusculum record book.
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