GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Lincoln Memorial University used a pair of 10-2 runs to open the second half as the fifth-ranked Railsplitters defeated host Tusculum College 88-69 Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. With the win, LMU clinches at least a share of the SAC championship with five league contests remaining.
LMU (22-1, 16-1 SAC) outscored the Pioneers by a 47-31 in the second half, while winning the board battle 32-17 in the final 20 minutes, including 14-5 on the offensive glass.
Five LMU players finished in the double figures, including 17 points by Gerel Simmons and 15 points each by Lorenza Ross and Curtis Webb. The duo of Curtis McMillion and Kennan Peterson posted identical double-doubles with 10 points and 11 rebounds apiece.
Matt Shown led the Pioneers with his career-high 17 points, while Chase Mounce recorded his fifth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. His eight double-doubles are the most in the league this year. He also matched a career-high with his game-best seven blocked shots, which are one shy of the school single-game mark of eight established by Brad Hawks in 2002.
TC's Javon Price added 13 points, while Cory Fagan tallied 11 markers in the loss.
Tusculum (4-18, 4-13 SAC) went toe-to-toe with the league-leading Railsplitters in the opening half. With LMU leading 21-15 at the 13:08 mark of the period, the Pioneers went on a 12-2 run to take a 27-23 lead following an acrobatic layup by Zach Davis. During the run, the Pioneers got back-to-back treys by Price and Fagan. Fagan added a long two-point jumper and Shown obliged with a bucket of his own.
LMU followed with baskets by Webb and Keenan Peterson to tie the game at 27-27 at the 5:19 mark. Mounce converted a pair of free throws and Price canned another basket to move out by four again (31-27). Simmons trimmed the deficit to one with a three-pointer, but Fagan answered with one of his own with 3:44 left in the half to give TC a 34-30 lead.
LMU responded with nine unanswered points over the next two minutes as the Railsplitters did not miss a shot in the final four minutes going 4-for-4 from the floor, including a pair of treys by Simmons and a bucket by Ross. Simmons and Time Pierce also went 2-for-2 from the free throw line down the stretch of the half.
Price converted a reverse layup at the buzzer as the Pioneers trailed 41-38 at the intermission. Both teams shot well in the opening half as TC shot 54 percent (15-of-28), while LMU fired at a 53 percent clip (16-of-30).
Lincoln Memorial opened the second half by scoring the first six points of the period and opened up a 51-40 lead following a pair of made free throws by McMillion with 16:29 remaining in the game.
Tusculum caught fire as Mason Fox converted a three-point play, Mounce connected on a jumper and Price buried a three-pointer from the corner as the Pioneers trailed 55-48 with 15:16 to go.
McMillion nailed a dunk and Shown made two free throws as the Pioneers trailed 57-50 with 14 minutes left on the clock. LMU followed with seven straight points, including a Web three-pointer to give the visitors a 64-50 advantage at the 11:43 mark.
With LMU in front 69-56 with 8:26 remaining, the Splitters posted six consecutive points over a two-minute span to lead 75-56. The Pioneers would cut the deficit to 15 points on a couple of occasions, but that would be as close as they would get.
Lincoln Memorial finished the game shooting 46.5 percent, while Tusculum fired on a 43.9 percent clip for the game, but were limited to 10-of-29 shooting the second half (34.5%).
LMU finished the game with 48 rebounds, while Tusculum totaled 29.
Fox finished the contest with a game-high six assists, while Davis and Johnathan Knight added four points each for the Pioneers.
Tusculum returns to action on Saturday when they host Newberry College for a 4 p.m. SAC contest at Pioneer Arena.
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