HARROGATE, Tenn. — Elyjah Freeman scored a season-high 26 points and had nine rebounds and Lincoln Memorial University put four players in double figures as the 14th-ranked Railsplitters defeated Tusculum University 78-62 in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball Wednesday night at Tex Turner Arena.
Wes Enis scored all 15 of his points in the second half as the Railsplitters (8-1, 6-0 SAC) shot 48 percent (29-for-60) from the field. EJ Smith added 12 points and Osmar Garcia-Araujo had 10 points and seven rebounds for Lincoln Memorial, which never trailed in taking over sole possession of first place in the conference.
Bryce Jackson reached 20 points for the fifth time this season for the Pioneers (3-9, 3-5 SAC), scoring 21 of his team-high 23 points in the second half to go along with seven rebounds. Taj Kimber added 14 points and Akeem Odusipe had eight points and 12 rebounds while matching his career high with four blocked shots. Tusculum shot 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field and had just five second-chance points and four points off LMU turnovers.
Freeman had 19 of his 26 points in the first half as the Railsplitters built a 39-25 lead at halftime. In the second half, Enis was 5-for-8 from the field and had 15 points for Lincoln Memorial, which had a 36-33 rebound edge over Tusculum but scored 16 points off seven offensive rebounds.
Lincoln Memorial went up 12-4 after 4 1/2 minutes behind five points from Freeman, but Tusculum chipped away and pulled within 12-10 on back-to-back jumpers from Kimber and a layup from Odusipe. Freeman would then score five straight points for the Railsplitters and added a three-pointer with 8:52 left for a 22-12 Lincoln Memorial lead. A three-pointer from Malachi Hale kept the Pioneers within 10, but Tusculum would go more than 4 1/2 minutes without a field goal as Lincoln Memorial built a 39-25 lead at halftime.
Freeman scored 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, including two three-pointers, and was 5-for-5 from the foul line in the first half along with four rebounds. LMU shot 55.6 percent (15-for-27) from the field in the half and had a 19-13 rebound advantage over Tusculum. Hale paced the Pioneers with seven points and Kimber added six, but Tusculum shot 34.6 percent (9-for-26) as a team and hit one three-pointer in seven attempts.
Jackson and Kimber combined for the first 12 points of the second half for the Pioneers, but Enis scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes including three three-pointers to push Lincoln Memorial ahead 58-41 with 10:50 to go. A pair of baskets from Jason Britton and a jumper from Kimber brought the Pioneers within 63-47 with 7:41 remaining, only to see the Railsplitters stretch their lead to as many as 21 in the closing minutes. Jackson scored the final 13 points for the Pioneers, including a personal 7-0 run in the final three minutes.
Britton had eight points and three rebounds for the Pioneers, with Hale collecting seven points and six rebounds. Tusculum was 13-for-19 from the foul line in the game with Lincoln Memorial going 12-for-15 at the stripe, and both teams had 13 turnovers. Lincoln Memorial held a commanding 42-20 edge in points in the paint, and outscored Tusculum 22-4 on fast breaks.
The Pioneers will break for the holidays and return to action on Saturday, Jan. 4 against Limestone at Pioneer Arena. The Saints (5-7, 2-6 SAC) earned their second league win of the year on Wednesday with an 88-72 victory over Carson-Newman.
