HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (6-2, 3-1 SAC) will be looking to start 4-1 in South Atlantic Conference play for the first time in program history on Monday, December 15, as the Newberry Wolves (6-3, 3-1 SAC) invade Tex Turner Arena for a league battle with early season implications.
 
Winners of three consecutive games, Lincoln Memorial is off to its best start since the 2006-07 squad also started 6-2. Monday will mark the Lady Railsplitters' first appearance on the court in nine days, when LMU absolutely dismantled the Coker Cobras 69-48 on December 6. The Lady Railsplitters limited the visiting unit to just 35.7 percent shooting with a 3-for-18 mark from three-point range while outrebounding the Cobras 57-23. LMU's 26 offensive rebounds led to 21 second chance points.
 
The LMU-Newberry bout sets up to be a battle of opposing strengths. The Wolves feature the stingiest defensive unit in the South Atlantic Conference, as opponents are shooting just 35.6 percent and scoring 59.1 points per game. The Lady Railsplitters lead the league with 73.9 points and 43.2 percent shooting per appearance. Newberry is average in terms of offensive production with 65.8 points per game. The battle of the boards could prove to be a critical turning point as the Wolves are reigning in just 37.1 boards per contest to the Lady Railsplitters' 55. LMU leads the nation in rebounding margin with an astounding plus 24.8 mark.
 
Newberry's rotation boasts the SAC's second-leading scorer in junior Samantha Creed, who is pouring in 18.6 points and 3.1 assists per game. Creed started red hot, scoring 20 points or more in four of her first five games, but she has failed to do so since November 25. Senior Haylee Lepaio is notching 11.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and she has posted three double-doubles already this season. Freshman Nicola Handreck has infused the Wolves with 9.4 points and 4.2 boards per contest, while Emily Perry is contributing 8.9 points in 22.3 minutes per game off the bench.
 
Newberry owns a 14-5 advantage of the Lady Railsplitters in the all-time series, a mark that was bolstered significantly by an 11 game winning streak from 2007-11. Lincoln Memorial is looking for its fourth straight win over the Wolves in Tex Turner Arena, though. Last season, the Lady Railsplitters romped to a 77-63 victory on February 8. Katrina Ottesen (Chandler, Az.) poured in 16 points, while Aisjah Lee (Louisville, Ky.) pitched in 15 in the win.
 
LMU hopes to get Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) back on track after her worst game of the season in last Saturday's win over Coker. Smith failed to score double-digits for the first time all season, tallying four points in only nine minutes. The Lady Railsplitters will need Smith for the long haul on Monday to slow down the big and physical Lepaio, who measures out at 6-2. LMU has gotten significant contributions from both Kortnay Cox (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) during Smith's small slump. Cox accounted for 13 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Bluefield State as well as 10 points and nine boards against Coker. Pittman posted similar numbers with 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Blues and 12 points and seven rebounds versus the Cobras. The effort of reserve forward Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) should not be overlooked, as she pitched in 11 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes against Coker.
 
Tip-off between the Lady Railsplitters and Wolves is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, December 15 in Tex Turner Arena. Live stats and an HD video broadcast will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap.

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