Lincoln Memorial Holds Off Queens to Win SAC Pilot Flying J Men's Basketball Championship

GREENVILLE, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – It was a hard-fought game from start to finish, but Lincoln Memorial was able to extend its winning streak to 32 games and win the 2020 SAC Pilot Flying J Men's Basketball Championship on Sunday (March 8). The nationally ranked No. 2 and top-seeded Railsplitters defeated the No. 2 seed and No. 25 Queens Royals 75-68.

The opening stanza was a back and forth battle that saw the Royals take a slim 35-34 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Railsplitters turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, holding Queens to just 26.5 percent shooting from the field, while hitting 50 percent of their own shots on the offensive end. Lincoln Memorial outscored Queens 41-33 in the second half on their way to the victory.

Leading the way for the Railsplitters was the tandem of Devin Whitefield and Courvoisier McCauley with 25 and 24 points, respectively. McCauley also pulled down nine rebounds and Cameron Henry chipped in 11 points.

For Queens, four players scored in double figures, led by Van Turner with 17 points, while Jamari Smith had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Daniel Carr had 15 points and Gavin Rains added 10 points and 13 boards.

Whitfield was named the championship's Most Valuable Player, along with earning All-Tournament honors. The fill All-Tournament team is listed below. 

Daniel Carr, Queens
Devin Whitefield, Lincoln Memorial - MVP
Terrance Whitfield, Catawba
Kenny Dye, Queens
Courvoisier McCauley, Lincoln Memorial

With the win, Lincoln Memorial earns the SAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship. The full bracket for the 2020 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball tournament will be released tonight (March 8).

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