Ruffolo drops 30 as men’s basketball takes down No. 14 Lincoln Memorial

By James Beagle

Junior guard Anthony Ruffolo delivered a dominant performance Saturday night, leading Cedarville to an 85-82 victory over Lincoln Memorial University. His totals of 30 points, six assists and seven rebounds led all players on either side. 

The Jackets started slow against LMU, which came into the matchup ranked No. 14 in Division II. The Railsplitters jumped out to an early nine-point lead due to their dominant interior defense, which forced multiple turnovers by the Jackets. 

Cedarville head coach Rob Jones called a timeout to give his team a chance to regroup after seven unanswered points by the Railsplitters. 

“There was no panic on their part,” Jones said. “We knew that we had to play a little better, and we kept pushing forward.” 

After Ruffolo knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game, the Jackets began forcing turnovers. The fans erupted, and momentum began to swing Cedarville’s way. 

“The crowd was absolutely tremendous,” Jones said. “And there’s no question that played a huge role in energy for our guys.”

This surge sparked a 12-point run by the Jackets. Sophomore forward Sam Johnson provided multiple defensive stops while also scoring six straight points during the stretch. 

“He’s a tough matchup on both ends of the court,” Jones said. “I love Sam because of his versatility on the defensive end, where he can guard a smaller guy, he can guard a bigger guy, he’s capable of both.” 

Two more 3-pointers from Ruffolo sent the Jackets into halftime with a 40-29 lead.  Despite going 4-for-4 from deep in the first half, Ruffolo was more focused on protecting the ball than he was on scoring. 

“The most impressive statistic for him is that he only had one turnover,” Jones said. “That pressure’s real, those guards are so aggressive on the ball.”  

The Jackets totaled 18 turnovers as a team in the first period, but kept their composure. 

“We’ve got a group that’s really tight off the court, and so we know we can hold each other accountable if we’re not doing the things that we’re supposed to be doing,” Ruffolo said. 

Redshirt sophomore guard Jaylen Davis buried his third 3-pointer of the game four minutes into the second half, giving the Jackets a 14-point lead. Ruffolo quickly drained two more 3-pointers of his own, bringing his total to six. 

Despite the 3-point barrage from the Jackets, LMU answered by dominating the paint on offense and defense. 

Momentum seemed to be slipping away from the Jackets until freshman Jordan Jonathan delivered an acrobatic finish at the rim just as the shot clock wound down. This brought the crowd to their feet and secured an 11-point lead for Cedarville with three minutes left. 

But the Railsplitters refused to go down easily, securing many offensive rebounds down the stretch. They fought back to bring the game within a single point with thirty seconds remaining.

“They’re such a physical team,” Jones said. “They put so much pressure on you, they get downhill, you’ve really got to be able to physically withstand that. 

“You have to keep them off the glass, and we did just enough of that to get the victory tonight.”

After four made free throws from Ruffolo in the closing moments and a failed half-court heave from LMU, Cedarville’s bench rushed the court in jubilation as time expired. 

With such a big win against a tough opponent, the team now looks to build on this momentum going forward when they face Illinois Springfield on Tuesday. Their key focus, however, remains in the right place. 

“It’s about not getting big heads, staying humble, and trusting God,” Davis said. “And that’s really the key.”