HARROGATE, Tenn. — Alexa Smiddy and Kamil Collier scored 19 points apiece to lead 21st-ranked Lincoln Memorial University to a 72-44 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball Wednesday evening at Tex Turner Arena.
Collier added a game-high 13 rebounds for the Railsplitters (11-1, 6-1 SAC), who improved to 7-0 at home and won their sixth straight game by holding the Pioneers (1-12, 1-6 SAC) to 33.3 percent shooting (18-for-54) for the game and 5-for-22 from three-point range. Lexi Patty also reached double figures for LMU with 16 points as the Railsplitters shot 42.9 percent (27-for-63) from the floor as a team.
Angela Gomez finished with 11 points to lead the Pioneers, with eight points and six rebounds from Abbi Douglas along with three steals. Martina Garofalo had six points, four rebounds and three assists for the Pioneers, who trailed by two midway through the third quarter before being outscored 36-10 over the final 16 1/2 minutes.
Smiddy drilled five three-pointers in seven attempts for the Railsplitters, who shot 9-for-31 as a team from long range and had a 36-24 rebounding advantage over the Pioneers. Lincoln Memorial had scoring runs of 9-0 in the second and fourth quarters and a pair of 8-0 runs in the third after Tusculum had pulled within 36-34 on an 8-0 surge of its own.
Two three-pointers from Smiddy in the first three minutes helped Lincoln Memorial to an early 8-3 lead, but Gomez capped a 6-0 run for Tusculum with a jumper that gave the Pioneers an 11-10 lead with 5:29 left in the first quarter. The teams would be tied at 13-13, 15-15 and 17-17 before a layup by Collier in the final minute put the Railsplitters on top 19-17 after one quarter.
The Pioneers fought back into a 21-21 tie on a basket by Gomez with 8:16 left in the first half, but Smiddy hit two more threes during a 9-0 run that pushed the Railsplitters on top 30-21 with 5:43 remaining. Lincoln Memorial would score just two more points in the half on a basket by Collier, but it was enough to give the Railsplitters a 32-24 lead at halftime.
Gomez led the Pioneers with seven points in the first half, with six points and five rebounds from Douglas. Tusculum shot 38.5 percent (10-for-26) from the field and had eight turnovers in the opening half. Smiddy had 12 points on 4-for-5 from three-point range in the half for the Railsplitters, with 11 points and 12 rebounds from Collier. LMU was at 34.3 percent (12-for-35) from the field and 5-for-18 from three-point range in the half.
Four points from Collier stretched the Lincoln Memorial lead to 36-26 in the first minute of the third quarter, but three-pointers from Josie Horner and Ema Nagyova were part of an 8-0 Tusculum surge that cut the deficit to 36-34 with 7:15 left in the period. From there, Lincoln Memorial would outscore Tusculum 14-3 in the quarter, with seven points from Patty, to go ahead 50-37 after three.
The Pioneers were held to just seven points in the fourth quarter, coming on baskets from Dora Van Rijs and Gomez along with a three-pointer from Caroline McDowell. Lincoln Memorial shot 9-for-15 from the field in the final period.
Tusculum finished the game with 18 turnovers, which led to 21 points for Lincoln Memorial, while the Pioneers scored 12 points off 14 Railsplitter miscues. Lincoln Memorial scored 22 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds and outscored Tusculum 34-14 in the paint.
The Pioneers will visit Anderson on Saturday, January 10 at 2 p.m. The Trojans fell to 1-6 in the conference and 5-8 overall with a 64=61 setback to ninth-ranked Coker at home on Wednesday evening.
