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HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The No. 14 Lincoln Memorial University men’s basketball program shook off the rust early as they used a second-half surge to defeat Coker in South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

The Cobras (4-17, 4-14 SAC) got out to an early 16-5 lead going into the under-12 minute media, but the Railsplitters (18-3, 15-3 SAC) turned on the jets to lead at the break 34-25. Shooting 58.7 percent overall for the game, Lincoln Memorial also got it done on the defensive end as they out-rebounded Coker, 29-25.

The Cobras got things going early as they took a decent lead over the Railsplitters, but the Splitters found their groove on the offensive end of the court as they used a 13-2 run to take a 23-20 lead. Lincoln Memorial’s defense stood strong in the last five minutes giving up just five points as the offense continued to connect as the Railsplitters took a 34-25 lead into the halftime break.

It was all Lincoln Memorial to start with out of the break as the Railsplitters used a 13-4 run to extend their lead to 47-29. The Cobras offense was awakened as they were able to trim down the Railsplitter lead to four at the 5:55 mark in the second, but Lincoln Memorial was able to make the necessary buckets to create separation, and ultimately held the lead, defeating Coker, 79-65.

Redshirt sophomore Chase Rankin paced the Railsplitters on the afternoon as the Columbus, Ohio native put up 22 points in the affair while shooting 7-of-8 from the field. Junior Martez Brown provided a spark of the bench as the Bessemer, Alabama native recorded 19 points on the afternoon.

Up Next

The Railsplitters will return to Tex Turner Arena on Monday, February 7 for a rescheduled match-up with Mars Hill. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST.