Hickory, N.C. - The Lincoln Memorial Men's Basketball Team (12-2, 5-1) moved into?third place alone in the South Atlantic Conference standings with an 82-72 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne (10-4, 3-3) in overtime Saturday evening at Shuford Gymnasium.
The Railsplitters, ranked No. 18 in NCAA Division II, were led by Jake Troyli (Largo, Fla.) with a game-high 26 points while Vincent Bailey (Jennings, Fla.) added 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
L-R junior guard R.J. McClure (Canton, N.C.) finished with a team-high 23 points and hit 11-of-12 free throw attempts for the Bears, who rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to force overtime but eventually lost.
Lincoln Memorial opened up a 17-point lead on a three-pointer by Cam Carden (Clearwater, Fla.) for a 59-42 advantage with 6:51 remaining in the second half.
However, Lenoir-Rhyne rallied to tie the contest when McClure hit three free throws with 1.9 seconds left and deadlocked the game at 67-67 entering overtime.
Lincoln Memorial took control again with a 10-1 run in the extra frame capped off by a pair of free throws by Wally Jones (Greensboro, N.C.) en route to the win.
Jones added 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Railsplitters, who held a 43-26 edge in rebounding in the contest.
Lenoir-Rhyne received a double-double performance from senior forward B.J. Beasley (Charlotte, N.C.) - 13 points and 10 rebounds - in the losing effort.
L-R next plays Tusculum in Greeneville, Tenn., in a league contest on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.? Lincoln Memorial, meanwhile, travels to Jefferson City, Tenn., to face Carson-Newman in a key SAC contest on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., as well.