HARROGATE, Tennessee - After their dominant performance to earn their fourth straight win over Penn State-Greater Allegheny, the Salem men's basketball team joined their female counterparts for a road trip down to Harrogate, Tennessee for a matchup against the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters. Despite the high energy level, Salem came up short by a score of 115-70.

In the first half, Salem had their work cut out for them early as the Railsplitters jumped out to an early lead. The Tigers battled back, and took back the lead with a jumper from Fope Okuyiga. However, Lincoln Memorial snatched it right back, and maintained control for the rest of the half. Salem kept it close however with some strong play from Justin Tene and Markanthony Fidelis. The Lincoln Memorial advantage stood at 47-28 after the first half. 

Coming out of the intermission, Salem was desperate to claw their way back into the game. They made some initial strides behind big shots from Ian Hardy and Rodney Smith. However, the Railsplitters offensive output was simply too much to keep pace with. Newcomer Brandon Francois and Kapone Barley also found some points for the Tigers down the stretch, but Lincoln Memorial came away with a 115-70 win. 

On the stats sheet, Salem was led by Markanthony Fidelis with 21 points. Ian Hardy added 13 points for the Tigers. Brandon Francois and Justin Tene each finished just short of double figures with 9 points each. 

While tonight's loss will be tough to swallow, Salem will have a few days to recover ahead of their next contest. Salem is set to take on Mountain East Conference foe Concord on January 16th at 4 PM.