Railsplitters Still Atop South Atlantic Conference With Double Overtime Win Over Newberry

NEWBERRY, SC – A 79-77 double overtime win against Newberry College on Saturday night has propelled the Lincoln Memorial men’s basketball team into a tie with Lenoir-Rhyne College for first place in the South Atlantic Conference. (Box score)

The Railsplitters led by two points with 1.3 remaining in regulation when Newberry’s Clemente Martin slammed home an inbound lob from mid court toe tie the game at 67 all, sending it into overtime.

In the first overtime period, the two teams traded baskets several times before LMU’s David Lopez (Tucson, AZ) sent the game into double overtime with almost no time remaining on the clock on a running jump shot down the lane.  Down the stretch, free throw shots by Railsplitter Lopez and teammate Artavius Mitchell (Chicago, IL) proved to be enough to allow the Railsplitters to come away with a 79-77 win to improve to 4-1 in league play.

Lincoln Memorial’s Lopez led all scorers with 24 points, while Railsplitter junior Chris Williams (Fort Washington, MD) came off the bench to score 18 second half points to give LMU some offensive lift.  LMU center Joplin Johnson (Chicago, IL) also made into double figures by scoring 11 points before fouling out after 32 minutes of play.

This week the Railsplitters return to the home floor and the Tex Turner Arena for their next conference battle with Lenoir-Rhyne College.  The winner will stand alone at the top of the South Atlantic Conference.  Tip-off for the men’s game will be at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday.