HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Two markedly similar teams will collide on Saturday afternoon as the second-ranked Railsplitters (15-0, 9-0 SAC) welcome the Queens Royals (9-6, 6-3 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for a South Atlantic Conference showdown. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
Lincoln Memorial matched the second-best start to a season in the 105-year history of the program on Wednesday night, leading wire-to-wire in a 78-61 victory over the Tusculum Pioneers. The Railsplitters held a narrow 47-42 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in regulation, but a 21-4 run - capped by an emphatic Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) dunk - pushed the home unit in front 68-46 by the 5:52 mark. Eleven different players scored for the Railsplitters, with Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) leading the way with 16 points and five assists. Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) turned in a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
 
In order to extend the nation's longest winning streak, the Railsplitters must pass through one of the hottest teams in the South Atlantic Conference, the Queens Royals. After a 1-5 start that included a loss to the Railsplitters on November 22, Queens has won eight of its last nine games, ascending the third in the league standings. The Royals had won eight consecutive games before suffering a 65-60 setback to the Wingate Bulldogs in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday night. The home team was limited to just a 38.2 percent mark from the floor with a 4-for-18 effort from long range.
 
Despite Wednesday's struggles, Queens arrives in Harrogate boasting the 20th-ranked field-goal percentage offense in the country - according to the most recent NCAA statistical update - with a cumulative 48.8 percent mark. That number ranks second in the SAC, though, as the Railsplitters claim the ninth-best field-goal percentage offense in Division II with a 51.7 percent clip. LMU has shot better than 50 percent in all but five of its games this season, while the Royals have surpassed the 50-percent threshold seven times.
 
Along with their efficient respective offensive units, both the Railsplitters and Royals are formidable on the defensive end of the floor as well. Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC and the nation in field-goal percentage defense as opponents are shooting just 36 percent versus the Railsplitters this season. Queens is one of just four teams in the league holding opponents below 41 percent shooting (40.9 percent). Both are among the best in the nation in guarding the three-point line, as LMU is second in the nation by holding opponents to 24.3 percent shooting from deep, while Queens is second in the SAC and 19th in the nation at 28.5 percent.
 
Game one this season went to the Railsplitters, who limited the Royals to a season-low 32.7 percent shooting with a 1-for-15 mark from three-point territory in a 66-51 victory in Charlotte. LMU led by just four points with 5:34 left, but closed the game on a 15-4 run to seal the victory. The Railsplitters buried 20 of their 41 shot attempts while adding a 21-for-30 effort at the free throw line. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) led the way with 18 points and four three-pointers, while Ross added 13 points and five assists.
 
The Royals are led by one of the league's most productive guard-forward duos in Rob Lewis and Sean Morgan. Lewis is scoring 15.9 points and dishing out 4.1 assists per game on 47 percent shooting, while Morgan is pouring in 15.8 points and grabbing 6.7 rebounds per appearance. Morgan carried the Royals in the first meeting against the Railsplitters, tallying 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. That tandem is backed by Virginia Tech transfer Marquis Rankin, who is averaging 9.4 points and 3.2 assists per appearance.
 
The Railsplitters are looking to improve to 4-0 all-time against head coach Josh Schertz's former employer. Lincoln Memorial swept the Royals last season, winning 61-56 in Harrogate and 72-71 in Charlotte. Schertz served as the associate head coach at Queens for two seasons (2002-04), when he helped guide the Royals to a Final Four appearance in his first season.
 
Tip-off between the Railsplitters and Royals is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday at Tex Turner Arena. 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 with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap.

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