Box Score ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) poured in a career-high 26 points as the Lincoln University men's basketball team moved into a tie for first in the CIAA Northern Division with a rout over Elizabeth City State, 76-60, on Wednesday night at the R.L. Vaughan Center.
 
Washington, who played 25 minutes, didn't miss often from the floor, going 7-of-9 and was 9-of-12 from the free-throw line to lead all scorers. Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) added 11 points, while George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) (seven points) and Stefan Whittingham (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Fort Lauderdale HS) (eight points) each had eight rebounds.
 
Lincoln (14-9 overall, 7-6 CIAA, 5-2 CIAA North), which is now tied with Elizabeth City State and Virginia Union for the top spot, took a 10-7 advantage on a pair of Will Cole (Newark, NJ/Cesar Chavez HS) free throws with 13:37 left, but the Vikings used a 7-0 run, capped by a Jaron Moore jumper to grab a 14-10 advantage with 10:55 remaining.
 
The Lions, who shot 47 percent (27-of-58) from the field, quickly responded with a 6-2 spurt to tie the game at 16 after a 3-pointer by Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy) with 9:39 remaining. Rogers' bucket sparked an 14-1 run, capped by a Washington 3-pointer with 4:59 left as the Lions built a 30-17 advantage.
 
Lincoln, winners of four of its last five games, closed out the final five minutes of action strong and took a 34-21 advantage into the break.
 
The Lions built a 17-point lead, 48-41, after a Will Cole (Newark, NJ/Cesar Chavez HS) layup with 13:35 remaining and extended the margin to 50-31 on a Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) fastbreak layup with 11:27 left.
 
The Vikings (14-9, 7-6, 5-2) tried to rally and cut the deficit to 60-43 after an Angelo Sharpless bucket with 7:01 left, but the lead was too much for Elizabeth City State to overcome as Lincoln coasted to its ninth road win.
 
Moore led the way for the Vikings with 15 points and seven boards. Angelo Sharpless, the third leading scorer in the CIAA, was 0-for-9 from the floor at the half and finished 3-for-16 to score nine points and pull down eight rebounds. Deon Rice also chipped in nine points as Elizabeth City State shot 34 percent (22-of-64).
 
The Lions return home for the final three regular season games, starting 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium against Virginia Union in the Play 4 Kay Breast Cancer Awareness game. To follow the CIAA Northern Division contest through live stats, click here or to follow on live streaming, click here.
 
Lions Notebook: Lincoln finishes up with a 9-4 record on the road…The Lions are guaranteed a winning record – the first since becoming an NCAA Division II member…Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) set a career high in points with 26 and tied a career high in 3-pointers with three…Stefan Whittingham (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Fort Lauderdale HS) also notched career highs in points with eight and rebounds with eight…George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) also set a career high with eight rebounds…Lincoln was 7-of-21 from behind the 3-point line (Derrick Washington (Washington, DC/Coolidge SHS) (3), George Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) (2), Justin Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Digital Harbor HS) (1) and Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy) (1))…The Lions finished with 42 rebounds, 15 assists and five steals…Lincoln picked up its first win ever against Elizabeth City State.