HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Katrina Ottesen (Chandler, Ariz.), Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) and Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) combined for 66 points to lead the Lady Railsplitters (4-2) to an 85-72 triumph over the Lees-McRae Bobcats (2-4) in NCAA Division II women's hoops action on Saturday at Tex Turner Arena.
 
Ottesen turned in a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and a perfect 5-for-5 effort from long range, Pittman tallied a season-best 22 points with nine rebounds, and Smith posted her third double-double of the season with 21 points, 18 boards and four blocks in 32 minutes of work, as that trio willed the Lady Railsplitters to victory.
 
Lincoln Memorial finished shooting 51.6 percent from the field (32-for-62), 83.3 percent from three-point range (5-for-6) and 61.5 percent from the charity stripe (16-for-26). The Lady Railsplitters demolished the Bobcats both on the boards and in the paint, logging a 55-32 advantage on the glass while outscoring Lees-McRae 55-22 inside the square. The Lady Railsplitters' bugaboo reared its head once again, though, as they committed a season-high 26 turnovers which were converted into 18 points by the Bobcats. LMU has turned the ball over 20-plus times in five of its six games this season.
 
Pittman scored 11 of her 22 points in the opening five minutes of the contest as she staked the Lady Railsplitters to an early 14-4 lead on a layup at the 14:56 mark. A Lakeisha Beasley (College Park, Ga.) layup with 8:27 remaining in the half propped LMU to its largest lead of the game at 23-9, but the next 7:52 saw the Bobcats roll off a 23-11 run, aided by eight Lady Railsplitter turnovers, to close the deficit to 34-32. Ottesen and Ross Mathis (Greer, S.C.) rattled in jumpers in LMU's last two possessions of the half to send the home unit into the break leading 38-32.
 
Another Pittman jumper kicked off the second half and pushed the Lady Railsplitters' lead to 40-32, but Lees-McRae went 8-for-11 from the field while knocking down three three-pointers over the next 5:59 to pace a 20-7 run that catapulted them into the lead at 52-45. That lead was short-lived, though, as Ottesen banged home three trifectas over the next 3:41 to tie it back up at 60-60 with 10:12 remaining in regulation.
 
A pair of Smith free throws at the 8:33 clip put the Lady Railsplitters back in front, but the Bobcats kept it close, pulling to within two at 72-70 on a Mackenzi Blankenship layup with 5:40 left. The Lady Railsplitters would pull away over the final 5:20 of regulation, finishing off the contest on a 13-2 run. Lees-McRae was limited to a 1-for-10 effort from the field with four turnovers over that flurry.
 
The Lady Railsplitters matched a season high with 19 assists on 32 field goals. Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) was limited to only four points but she added a season-best nine assists.
 
Kabrina Truesdale led Lees-McRae with a game-high 24 points on 11-for-22 shooting. Truesdale rounded out her stat ledger with six boards, six assists, six steals and six turnovers in 40 minutes over action. Both Tayler Collins and Mackenzi Blankenship contributed 12 points apiece, while Kerri Belcher turned in eight points and eight rebounds in 38 minutes of work.
 
Lees-McRae only attempted seven free throws in the contest, knocking down three of those tries. The Bobcats finished shooting 40 percent from the field (32-for-80) and 23.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc (5-for-21).
 
The Lady Railsplitters host the second leg of their five-game homestand on Monday, December 1, welcoming Bluefield State to Tex Turner Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.