Harrogate, TN.--- Coming off a 60-point win over Tennessee Wesleyan, the No. 4 Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters handed Lenoir-Rhyne a 97-77 defeat on Wednesday evening. The Bears defeated LMU in Hickory last season but haven't beat the Railsplitters on the road since 2010.
Inside the Matchup:
Final: Lincoln Memorial 97, Lenoir-Rhyne 77
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (4-5, 0-4 SAC), Lincoln Memorial (11-0, 5-0 SAC)
Location: B. Frank "Tex" Turner Arena I Harrogate, TN.
Stats of the Game:
- Courvoisier McCauley caught fire for the Railsplitters, connecting on his first six 3-pointers in the game. McCauley had 20 first half points as LMU put up 55 points in the opening period.
- For the second straight game, an opponent shot over 60 percent in the first half. LMU was unconscious in the first half, hitting 66% from the field and 67% from long range. Ball movement was key as the hosts had 17 assists on 21 made baskets in the opening 20 minutes.
- Not to be outdone by McCauley, Mason Hawks buried all four of his 3-pointers in the opening half and added four assists to go with his 12 first half points. R.J. Gunn had 18 on 6-of-9 shooting.
- McCauley didn't slow down in the second half and finished with 44 points and added 11 boards for a double-double.
- LR had five players finish in double digits led by Gunn's 23. Hawks, who connected on five straight three pointers, finished with 15 and Darius Simmons had 13. Tyson McClain added 11 points and a team-high six boards and Davion Bradford chipped in 10 points.
- LR connected of 14 3-pointers as a team, the second-highest total of the season. The Bears buried 17 triples at Queens on Nov. 30.
Beyond the Box Score:
- The Bears were playing shorthanded tonight, dressing just seven healthy players but battled against one of the nation's elite teams.
- Gunn topped the 550 career point mark tonight in his 43rd career game. Gunn has also hit multiple 3-pointers in all but one game this season.
- Coming into the game, LMU was defeating opponents by an average of 28.4 points per game which is the second-highest scoring differential in the nation.
- The win was the 11th straight victory for LMU who opened their season with a loss to No. 7 West Texas A&M.
- This wraps up Lenoir-Rhyne's five-game road swing that saw them face two top-15 teams.
- This is the seventh win of 20 or more points for LMU on the year.
Up Next: The Bears return home for the first time since Nov. 16 when they welcome Wingate to Shuford Gymnasium for a special New Year's Night game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.