HARROGATE, TN - Head coach Brent Owen's Bears accomplished a feat no other SAC school has done since 2019, defeating Lincoln Memorial on their home floor during the regular season. The Railsplitters were riding a 68-game home winning streak against SAC teams before the Bears came in tonight and won 83-71. 

The last SAC school to take down the Railsplitters in Harrogate was Queens, who won 78-70 on February 2, 2019. The last SAC school currently in the conference to win at Lincoln Memorial was Newberry, who defeated the Railsplitters 107-102 on December 17, 2016. 

Akili Evans led the Bears with an impressive 27 point performance, while Conrad Luczynski's 16 points and 15 rebounds gave him his third double-double of the season. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (RV) Lenoir-Rhyne 83, (RV) Lincoln Memorial 71
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne 6-2 (1-0 SAC), Lincoln Memorial 2-3 (0-1 SAC)
Location: B. Frank Turner Arena | Harrogate, Tenn.

STORY OF THE GAME:

• A three pointer from Tyler Burraston put the Bears up 11-5 six minutes in.
• An 8-0 run from the Railsplitter put them up two just three minutes later.
• Akili Evans hit a three with 11:10 left in the game to give the Bears a lead they would never relinquish.
• The teams were nearly even the rest of the way and the Bears held a 38-34 lead at the break.
• A dunk and layup from Sam Martin capped off an 11-0 run from Lenoir-Rhyne to open the second half.
• Lincoln Memorial cut it to single digits with 9:10 remaining in the game, but big buckets from Evans, Julian Dozier, and Conrad Luczynski extended the lead back to 16.
• A few late dunks from Evans and Martin sealed the big win. 

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Akili Evans led the way with 27 points on an efficient 11-14 from the field, 2-3 from three, and 3-3 from the charity stripe.
• Conrad Luczynski was a perfect 7-7 from the field en route to his 16 point, 15 rebound, and three block day.
• Sam Martin (10) was the third player in double figures for the Bears.
• Julian Dozier finished with a season high eight assists.
• The Bears were 34-68 (50%) from the field and 7-22 (31.8%) from three.
• Lincoln Memorial was 25-67 (37.3%) from the field and 13-29 (44.8%) from three.
• Both teams finished with 11 turnovers.
• Lenoir-Rhyne continued to dominate the paint, outscoring Lincoln Memorial 52-22. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This was Lenoir-Rhyne's first win at Lincoln Memorial since a 75-73 victory on February 13, 2010.
• All six of the Bears' dunks came from either Sam Martin or Akili Evans.
• Conrad Luzysnki joins Sam Martin as the only two Bears to finish perfect from the field this season while taking five or more shots.
• This marks the first time since 2021-22 the Bears have won their conference opener.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will be back at home on Wednesday, December 3rd, when they host Catawba. The Catawba Indians are 3-1 and are riding a three game winning streak, including an impressive 97-72 win over Columbus State and 90-52 victory over USC Aiken. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.