Matthew Sells connected on 15 points including three key 3-pointers late in the game to pace nationally-ranked Lincoln Memorial to a 72-67 win over visiting Tusculum Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action at Tex Turner Arena.
Sells went 5-of-8 from three-point territory including back-to-back treys to break a 59-59 tie and give LMU (8-1, 2-0 SAC) the lead for good as the Railsplitters snapped Tusculum’s eight-game regular-season winning streak. Prior to today, TU’s last regular season loss came to LMU in Harrogate last February.
Lincoln Memorial (No. 11 in NABC Division II Coaches Poll / No. 9 in D2SIDA Media Poll) ran its winning streak to seven in a row and extended its home winning streak over Tusculum to 21 straight dating back to Dec. 3, 2005.
Five Railsplitters finished the game in double-figure scoring including Sells’ 15 markers, Martez Brown finished with 13, Quay Kennedy had a dozen, while Jordan Guest and Chase Rankin accounted for 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Tusculum junior Inady Legiste led all players with 21 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double. Junior Connor Jordan added 15 points, while senior Jalen Crowder poured in 12 points for the short-handed Pioneers (3-1, 0-1 SAC) who were missing four key players due to illness.
The game was a close contest which included 11 ties and 14 lead changes as neither team led by more than eight points on the afternoon.
Tusculum used a 7-0 run in the first half to take its largest lead of the game at 24-19 thanks to a jumper by Jordan and five straight points from Legiste including a triple at the 6:15 mark of the first half.
LMU answered with a 9-0 spurt thanks to a pair of Guest three-pointers as the Splitters led 28-24 with 4:32 left in the period. A 6-1 Tusculum run gave the visitors the lead at 30-29 with under two minutes on the clock. The lead would switch hands for the remainder of the half before Kennedy’s jumper just before the intermission gave LMU a 35-34 at the break.
The game remained close to start the second period as either team led by more than three points for the first six minutes of the half. Legiste hit a jumper in the paint with 14:41 remaining to give TU a 47-46 lead.
LMU answered with an 8-0 run as Rankin poured in two 3-pointers and Brown made a layup as LMU led 54-47 with 11:50 to go. The Railplitters extended the lead to eight at 57-49. But Tusculum went on a 10-2 spurt and tied the game at 59-59 as Legiste hit a pair of free throws with 5:39 on the clock.
Sells would energize LMU with consecutive triples for a 65-59 lead and the Pioneers would miss its next five shots. Crowder made 2-of-3 free throws as TU trailed 65-61 with four minutes left. Kennedy made a jumper to extend the lead to 67-61 at the 3:48 mark.
Both team went cold for the next two minutes before Legiste broke the ice with an offensive rebound and layup as TU trailed 67-63 with 1:41 left.
On LMU’s next trip up the floor, Sells buried his fifth 3-pointer of the game to push the lead back out to seven (70-63) with 1:21 on the scoreboard.
TU’s Joshua Scott hit a jumper as LMU led 70-65 with 1:05 to go. After a LMU timeout, Walters went to the lane and was fouled as he made both free throws to extend the lead 72-65 with 42 seconds left which would eventually seal the win.
Tusculum was held 29 points under its seasonal average (96 ppg – 5th in NCAA II) and shot a season-low 36.1 percent. LMU went 25-of-58 from the field (43%) including 10-of-26 from three-point land. LMU also went 12-of-16 from the free throw line (75%) while the Pioneers went 9-of-12 (75%).
Lincoln Memorial held a 45-38 advantage in rebounding and a 14-7 edge in bench scoring. Tusculum forced 16 turnovers on 12 steals including four thefts each by KJ Crump and Jordan. TU also scored 21 points off of the LMU miscues.
The Pioneers return home on Wednesday to host UVA Wise for a SAC game beginning at 7:30 p.m.
