Pembroke, NC - The ninth-ranked Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team took to Pembroke, NC on Wednesday night for its first away game of the season and found itself in an intense battle with the hosting UNC-Pembroke Braves.
The teams were nearly deadlocked at the half, with UNC-Pembroke holding a slight four point advantage, 37-33. There were six ties and 10 lead changes in the first half as the teams battled on level ground throughout its duration. UNC-Pembroke edged Lincoln Memorial on the glass 22-18 in the first half, with two more offensive boards than the Railsplitters to account for the four point halftime deficit. Lincoln Memorial opened the second half by tightening the bolts on defense, holding the Braves to just 26% shooting from the floor through three fourths of the second half. The Railsplitters regained control, jumping out to a 52-43 lead before a 9-0 run from UNC-Pembroke brought the Braves back to even ground with the Railsplitters at 52-52. The lead continued to switch hands as the clock dwindled below six minutes remaining in the game, seeing UNC-Pembroke maintaining a 62-57 lead with 5:16 remaining. Lincoln Memorial closed the gap to a single point, 62-61, before the Braves built back to a two possession lead at 65-61 with 4:13 left in the game.
UNC-Pembroke continued to add to its lead, eventually extending the lead to seven points, 73-66 with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The Braves held on through the Railsplitters' fervent attempts to comeback, claiming an eight point victory, 83-75. Lincoln Memorial had a tough time beyond the arc, connecting on only 2-of-15 attempts. UNC-Pembroke won the rebounding battle 40-33.
Elyjah Freeman tallied a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Railsplitters in both categories. He was followed by Osmar Garcia-Araujo with 22 points. EJ Smith added eight points, Mahmoud Bangura (Mo) and Jay Boyd added six points apiece, Jordan Walters chipped in five, Wes Enis and Connor Jordan added a bucket each, and Thomas Allard added one point to round out scoring for the Railsplitters.
Lincoln Memorial will be back in action on Saturday for its first conference game of the season, playing host to the Newberry Wolves with tip-off slated for 2:00 PM, immediately following the women's game.
