Eagles come up short at No. 13 Lincoln Memorial, 83-78
HARROGATE, Tenn. — No. 13 Lincoln Memorial held off a late rally by the Carson-Newman men's basketball team to pull out an 83-78 victory on Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Tex Turner Arena.
HARROGATE, Tenn. — No. 13 Lincoln Memorial held off a late rally by the Carson-Newman men's basketball team to pull out an 83-78 victory on Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Tex Turner Arena.
The Eagles trailed by 13 points with less than four minutes remaining and were able to pull to within five with 12 seconds left, but that would be as close as C-N would get.
With the loss, C-N falls to 11-14 on the season and 8-9 in the conference. The Railsplitters improve to 23-2 overall and 15-2 in SAC play.
The Eagles shot 50 percent (30-of-60) from the floor and knocked down 10 3-pointers, while Lincoln Memorial scored at a 45.9 percent clip (28-of-61). However, the Railsplitters held a decisive 38-25 advantage on the glass and made 21-of-26 attempts from the free-throw line.
Junior Antonio Sullivan (Louisville, Ky.) fired in 20 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the Eagles, while freshman Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) added 18 points and junior Kevin Hare (Lexington, S.C.) finished with 15 points. Junior point guard Bradley Tumer (Mt. Dora, Fla.) chipped in nine points and seven assists.
D'Mario Curry and Brandon Armstrong netted 17 points apiece to pace four Railsplitters in double figures. Desmond Johnson contributed a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Cam Carden chipped in 13 points in the win.
The Railsplitters jumped out to a 9-3 lead, but C-N went on an 8-2 run capped off by a Sullivan 3-pointer to tie the game at 11-11 with 14:17 left.
Lincoln Memorial then regained the lead for good, as Curry drained a jumper at the other end. The Railsplitters pushed their lead to as many as seven points at 32-25.
The Eagles went into the locker room trailing 39-36 after Sullivan drove the lane and made a pull-up jumper at the 1:46 mark for the last basket of the half.
C-N was never able to pull closer than three points the rest of the way, as the Railsplitters pushed their lead to as many as 13 points late in the second half. The Eagles went on a 15-7 run down the stretch to trim Lincoln Memorial's lead to 81-76 with 12 seconds remaining, but Kierre Jordan sank a pair of free throws to seal the win.
The Eagles will close out the regular season on Saturday at home against Anderson. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse. Brandon Evans (Salem, Va.) and Erwin Staten (Huntsville, Ala.) will be honored with a Senior Day ceremony.
