Harrogate, TN - You'd have to go all the way back to January of 2010 to find the last time Mars Hill defeated Lincoln Memorial in men's basketball. The two teams met again on Tuesday night in Mars Hill, NC with the Railsplitters looking to make it 31 in-a-row against the Lions. Mars Hill hadn't lost a game all season, and entered the contest against Lincoln Memorial 4-0, with a 2-0 mark in conference play. The Railsplitters entered the game with a 2-1 record. Due to a postponement of the Newberry game last Saturday, Lincoln Memorial had yet to play a conference game, making Tuesday's match up with the Lions the conference opener for the Railsplitters.
Lincoln Memorial came out fast and were very efficient in the first 11 minutes of the first half, connecting on 61% of its shots from the floor, including a 4-of-5 mark from long range. The Railsplitter offense was extremely well balanced, seeing eight different players tally a bucket in the first half. With the score sitting at 9-7 in favor of Lincoln Memorial, an 8-0 run saw the lead swell to nine points for the Railsplitters. The margin held until Lincoln Memorial extended its lead to double digits for the first time during the game at 26-15 with 11:39 remaining in the first half. However, a 9-0 run from Mars Hill over the next 2:30 of game time saw the Lions knot the game at 26-26. The Railsplitters responded with a 5-0 run to regain a 31-26 advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the half. The teams traded buckets over the next couple of minutes, seeing Lincoln Memorial maintain a 37-32 advantage as Wes Enis connected on his third three pointer of the game; the Railsplitters seventh of the first half.
As time began to tick below two minutes to go in the first half, the Lincoln Memorial lead ballooned back to double digits, taking a 48-38 lead over Mars Hill. A pair of free throws from Connor Jordan to end the half saw the Railsplitters take a nine point lead into the locker room at the half, 50-41. After struggling from beyond the arc in back-to-back games, Lincoln Memorial blistered the nets for eight three pointers in the first half, going 8-of-11 from long range, including an overall mark of 66% from the floor. The Railsplitters dominated the glass in the first half, holding the Lions to single digits, 20-8.
Lincoln Memorial opened the second half on a 20-3 run, taking a commanding 70-44 lead, its largest of the game to that point. The Railsplitters continued to stay white hot from long range, connecting in six three pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half. The clock began to work against Mars Hill as Lincoln Memorial continued to dictate the tempo and control of the game. The score grew to 89-69 as the clock dwindled below three minutes. From there, the Railsplitters closed the game, claiming a 95-72 victory.
Lincoln Memorial was led in scoring by Wes Enis with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a 5-of-8 mark from long range. He was followed by Elyjah Freeman with 14 points and nine rebounds, Jordan Walters who tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, EJ Smith with 10 points and five assists, Mahmoud Bangura "Mo" with 10 points and six rebounds, Osmar Garcia-Araujo with nine points and four rebounds, Connor Jordan with seven points, Thomas Allard with five points, six rebounds, and eight assist, Jay Boyd with two points, and Ngundeng Ruey with two points.
With the victory, the Railsplitters improve to 3-1 on the season including a 1-0 mark in conference play. Lincoln Memorial will be back in action following the Thanksgiving break on the road at Catawba on Nov. 30 with tip-off slated for 4 PM.
