HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Before Monday's highly anticipated match-up with Newberry, the eighth-ranked Railsplitters (8-0) will look to fine tune in a nonconference bout against the VU-Lynchburg Dragons (1-9), which is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday at Tex Turner Arena.
Lincoln Memorial assured its first 8-0 start since the onset of the 2011-12 campaign with a 79-71 South Atlantic Conference victory over the visiting Coker Cobras on Saturday. The Railsplitters closed the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 37-29 lead into the break, and that cushion bulged to as many as 14 with just 7:15 to play. The Cobras pulled to within four at 74-70 with two minutes left, but LMU closed out the visitors from Hartsville, S.C. at the charity stripe.
The Railsplitters found a way to win Saturday despite shooting a season-low 37.9 percent, their worst mark from the field since going 22-for-61 (36.1 percent) in a loss at Carson-Newman in February, 2012. Three-point shooting and frequent visits to the free throw line saved the Railsplitters, though, as LMU went 8-for-18 from long range and 27-for-42 on freebies.
The Railsplitters continue to thrive in two of the game's most important areas of emphasis: defense and rebounding. Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC while ranking fourth in the nation in rebounding margin with a plus 13 clip. The Railsplitters' 342 total rebounds are the 25th most at the Division II level. While ranking 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense with a slim 38 percent mark, the Railsplitters have been even stingier from three-point territory, allowing their opponents to shoot just 25.8 percent from long range, the fifth-best mark nationwide.
The backcourt duo of
Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and
Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) are combining for nearly 31 points per game, but both of those guys are looking to bounce back in one way or another. After knocking down 28 of his first 49 three-point attempts, Choice has missed his last 12 tries. Choice leads the SAC with his 28 trifectas despite not draining one since the 14:34 mark of the first half in LMU's win over Tennessee Wesleyan on November 29. Ross, meanwhile, torched the Cobras for 16 points on Saturday, but he needed a season-high 17 shots to reach that mark. It was the first time this season Ross has shot worse than 57 percent in a game.
The Railsplitters might have found that consistent inside presence they've been desperately seeking over the course of the past week, though, as
Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) turned in 16 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes against Ohio Midwestern before reeling in 10 points and 10 boards in just 23 minutes versus Coker. Prior to that, Lincoln Memorial boasted only two double-digit scoring performances combined from its interior players.
Little is known about Virginia University at Lynchburg, who the Railsplitters have never squared off against in any sport, but the Dragons did play two NCAA Division I opponents in Elon and East Carolina earlier this season. East Carolina throttled VU-Lynchburg 92-51, limiting the Dragons to just 28.4 percent shooting. Hakeem Anthony was the only player to tally double figures in the contest as he carded 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting. On December 2, the Dragons suffered a 111-55 setback to the Elon Phoenix. Anthony led VU-Lynchburg once again with 21 points, while Adrian Saunders added 10 points in 21 minutes.
Wednesday will be the Dragons' sixth game in an 11 day stretch, a phase that has seen VU-Lynchburg travel from Elizabeth City, N.C. to Elkins, W.V. and back into Harrogate. It will also be the second game of a back-to-back as the Dragons pay a visit to Davis & Elkins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, a team that is under the direction of former LMU assistant Chris Cottrell.
The Railsplitters are aiming to extend their streak of consecutive nonconference home victories to 33. Lincoln Memorial has not dropped an out-of-conference contest at Tex Turner Arena since the 2008-09 season.
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and VU-Lynchburg is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Tex Turner Arena. Live stats and an HD video broadcast will be available via
www.LMURailsplitters.com, while listener are encouraged to listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45.
Live Stats
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