GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Alexa Smiddy scored a game-high 24 points and Lauren Flowers finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds as Lincoln Memorial University picked up a 60-51 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena.
The Railsplitters (16-7, 11-6 SAC) shot just 35.2 percent (19-for-54) from the field as a team, but sank 10 pointers in 29 attempts while the Pioneers (3-20, 1-16 SAC) were just 4-for-20 from beyond the arc. Tusculum shot 35.8 percent (19-for-53) from the field and outrebounded Lincoln Memorial by a 37-33 margin.
Ni’Kiah Chesterfield led the Pioneers with 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, while Jenna Kallenberg had 10 points and four boards. Delana DeBusk added eight points and four assists for the Pioneers, with Carleigh Wilson contributing six points and a team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, Monique Shim returned after a four-game absence and had six points and three rebounds along with two steals in 20 minutes of playing time.
Smiddy, who scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half, was 6-for-11 from three-point range for Lincoln Memorial while Flowers was 4-for-8 from beyond the arc for the Railsplitters. Geovana Rios had seven points and nine rebounds and Jordan Maney finished with eight points along with five assists.
The Pioneers will host Coker on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. The Cobras (14-10, 8-9 SAC) are in sole possession of seventh place in the SAC despite dropping its second straight on Wednesday night with a 60-50 loss at Lenoir-Rhyne. Coker beat Tusculum 87-71 in the first meeting of the season between the teams on Dec. 9 at Coker. Listen to the game on 95.5FM WSMG, presented by Gateway Ford Nissan.