Jenkins nets 24 in Pioneers' 86-72 setback at LMU

Jenkins nets 24 in Pioneers' 86-72 setback at LMU

HARROGATE, Tenn. --- Kamaran Calhoun scored a game-high 27 points and Cameron Henry added 22 as Lincoln Memorial University beat Tusculum University 86-72 in a South Atlantic Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Tex Turner Arena.

Henry hit five three-pointers in nine attempts and Calhoun finished 13-for-16 at the foul line for the Railsplitters (13-4, 8-2 SAC), who led by as many as 27 points in the second half en route to their 24th straight victory over the Pioneers.

Tariq Jenkins scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Pioneers (9-9, 5-5 SAC), who shot just 32.9 percent (25-for-76) from the field and went 7-for-35 from three-point range as their five-game winning streak came to an end. Trenton Gibson added 19 points for the Pioneers and Adrian Cohen chipped in with eight points off the bench for Tusculum.

Tusculum held an early 11-9 lead following a three-pointer by Dillon Smith with 16:16 left in the first half, and a three-pointer by Jenkins tied the score at 14-14 with 12:41 remaining. However, Henry hit back-to-back three-pointers as part of a 9-0 run which gave the Railsplitters a 23-14 lead with 11:23 left in the half. The LMU lead would reach 35-20 on a foul shot by Calhoun with 4:50 to go, and the Railsplitters would score the last seven points to go into the locker room with a 44-27 lead.

Henry had a game-high 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from three-point territory in the first half for LMU, which went 9-for-15 from beyond the arc as a team in the half and 16-for-28 (57.1 percent) overall. Julius Brown had nine points off the bench and Anthony Brown contributed four points, six rebounds and four assists. Gibson had a team-high 12 points in the first half for the Pioneers, who shot 34.4 percent (11-for-32) as a team and 4-for-16 on three-pointers in the half.

A 10-0 run by the Railsplitters early in the second half gave LMU a 56-29 lead with 16:42 left following a basket by Rhondi Hackett, but Jenkins scored nine straight points for the Pioneers to cut the margin to 59-44 with 12:58 remaining. The Lincoln Memorial lead went back to 23 points at 73-50 on a jumper by Calhoun with 6:22 to go, and Tusculum would get no closer than 14 points in the final seconds.

Donovan Donaldson was held to five points in 31 minutes for the Pioneers, but had a team highs of seven rebounds and four assists. Cam King had four blocked shots and four rebounds in 21 minutes, which helped the Pioneers to a 40-39 advantage in rebounding. Anthony Brown led the Railsplitters on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds, and also dished out a game-high five assists.

Tusculum finished the game with 27 points off 19 Lincoln Memorial turnovers, while the Railsplitters forced the Pioneers into just 13 turnovers which were turned into 16 points. The Pioneers, who entered the game leading the SAC in offensive rebounding with 15.0 per game, grabbed 21 of their 40 rebounds on the offensive glass. Tusculum had a total of 18 second-chance points to four for the Railsplitters.

The Pioneers, who have won four consecutive home games, will return to Pioneer Arena to open the second half of the SAC schedule on Saturday against Catawba. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.