HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Looking to end a season long losing skid, the Lady Railsplitters (7-7, 4-4 SAC) welcome the Tusculum Pioneers (3-8, 3-5 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena on Wednesday, January 14 for the 65th meeting all-time between the two bitter in-state rivals. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
Adversity has hit Lincoln Memorial hard since the calendar flipped to 2015. Since earning a signature win over Newberry on December 15, the Lady Railsplitters have dropped five consecutive games, which culminated last Saturday in an 88-65 loss to the Wingate Bulldogs. The 'Dogs racked up 88 points - the second-most by an LMU opponent this season - on a 50 percent mark from the floor, a 7-of-12 effort from long range and a nearly perfect 19-for-21 mark at the charity stripe. Senior guard Aisjah Lee (Louisville, Ky.) was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable game for the Lady Railsplitters, scoring a season high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting. 
 
Injuries have played a key role in LMU's recent struggles as leading scorer Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) has not played since December 20, while starter Kortnay Cox (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) has been forced to sit out the past two games. Reserve forward Samantha Satterlee (Junction City, Kan.) has also been absent from the lineup since early December.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are aiming to avoid their first losing streak of six games or longer since the 2010-11 campaign, when they dropped seven consecutive games from January 22 to February 12. It would be only the third such losing skid for the Lady Railsplitters since the turn of the century.
 
Like the Lady Railsplitters, Tusculum is looking to bounce back from a double-digit point loss over the weekend, as the Pioneers suffered a 69-54 setback to the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. After leading at the half, the Pioneers were outscored 42-19 in the second stanza, finishing with a dismal 7-for-25 effort in the frame.
 
Tusculum has fared well against the league's bottom feeders, turning in a 3-0 mark against the 11th and 12th place teams in the current South Atlantic Conference standings (Brevard and Coker), but the Pioneers have gone 0-5 against everybody else. Tusculum is scoring nearly 70 points per game while leading the SAC in field goal attempts per game (63.8), free throws made per game (17.5) and steals per game (10.2). While the Pioneers have thrived in creating scoring opportunities, they have struggled to cash in on those chances, ranking near the bottom of the league in overall field goal percentage (38.6 percent), three-point percentage (27.3 percent) and turnovers per game (21.5). Defensively, Tusculum is last in the SAC in points per game allowed and opponents' field goal percentage, allowing almost 77 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting.
 
The trio of Rainey Story, Maelyn Cutshaw and Shynese Whitner are averaging right at 13 points per game for the Pioneers. Story is pouring in 13.1 points and grabbing 6.3 rebounds per appearance, while Cutshaw is scoring an even 13 points with 2.6 assists per game. Whitener leads the Pioneers with 2.8 assists per game to go along with 12.9 points. Kristen McMillion, sister of Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.), is averaging a near double-double with 8.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
 
The Lady Railsplitters and Pioneers have collided 64 times since the 1977-78 season, with Lincoln Memorial accumulating a 37-27 edge in the series. That margin is due in large part to a stretch from February 9, 1985 to December 2, 2004, when the Lady Railsplitters won 28 of the 31 meetings over that span. Since joining the South Atlantic Conference for the 2006-07 campaign, the Lady Railsplitters have won just four of the 18 games against Tusculum. The two teams split the regular-season series in 2013-14, as LMU took a 76-66 victory in Greeneville, Tenn. while Tusculum won in Harrogate 61-57.
 
Aisjah Lee thrived in both meetings with Tusculum last season. She recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the four-point loss at Tex Turner, and she posted a near triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven rebounds and five assists in the 10-point win at Greeneville.
 
Tip-off between the Lady Railsplitters and Pioneers is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Live stats and an HD video broadcast - compliments of the LMU Sports Network - will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com. Fans can also listen along to the game with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap. Pre-game coverage begins at 5:40.

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