HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- The Coker Cobras (7-12, 3-10 SAC) closed on a 9-3 run to hand the Lady Railsplitters (11-8, 8-5 SAC) a 67-62 loss in South Atlantic Conference women's hoops action on Saturday afternoon in Hartsville, S.C. Lincoln Memorial dropped its sixth consecutive game away from Tex Turner Arena, falling to 1-6 on the road this season.
 
Saturday's back-and-forth contest featured 17 lead changes and the second-to-last lead change came at the 2:21 mark, as an Aisjah Lee (Louisville, Ky.) jumper put Lincoln Memorial in front 59-58. The Lady Railsplitters floundered down the stretch, though, making just one of their last three shot attempts, missing a pair of free throws and turning the ball over two times. Over that same span, the Cobras went 7-for-10 at the free throw line and made their only shot attempt to pace a 9-3 closing run.
 
That finishing stretch undid a resilient effort by the Lady Railsplitters, who authored a 17-point turnaround over the course of the game. The visiting unit started ice cold while Coker was red hot early on, racing out to a commanding 18-6 edge following Hailey Yohn's three-pointer at 13:44. The Lady Railsplitters got back on track after falling into that early hole, steadily chipping away at the lead before gaining a 25-24 edge on a Ross Mathis (Greer, S.C.) triple at the 4:46 mark.
 
The two teams were mired in a back-and-forth slugfest throughout the second half until the Lady Railsplitters seemingly grabbed control, taking a 54-49 lead on a Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) layup with 5:17 remaining in regulation. The Cobras countered with a 9-3 run to grab a 58-57 advantage leading up to that final two-minute stretch.
 
The Lady Railsplitters finished shooting 49.1 percent (26-for-53) from the floor, the program's highest field-goal percentage in a loss since compiling a 53.1 percent clip in a loss to Wingate on January 28, 2012. Lincoln Memorial went 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) from three-point range and 4-for-10 (40 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
Coker led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and five three-pointers. The Knoxville, Tenn. native produced 11 of her 17 points in the second stanza. Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) poured in 16 points with three rebounds and a pair of steals, while Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) finished with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in 39 minutes of action.
 
The Lady Railsplitters turned the ball over 20 times, which the Cobras converted into 24 points. That aided an otherwise paltry offensive performance for the home team, who finished shooting 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from the field. The three-point line also proved beneficial for the Cobras as 10 of their 22 field goals were three-pointers.
 
Tanesha Stenson logged 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead the Cobras, while Hailey Yohn scored 12 points in 21 minutes. Both Kelley Godbout and Lyric Levester contributed 11 points apiece.
 
The Lady Railsplitters split the regular-season series against Coker as a result of Saturday's loss. Lincoln Memorial dominated the Cobras in a 69-48 win at Tex Turner back on December 6.
 
Lincoln Memorial narrowly edged the Cobras on the glass, grabbing a 37-36 rebounding advantage. The Lady Railsplitters yanked down 12 offensive rebounds, piled up 18 second-chance points and outscored Coker 32-16 in the paint.
 
The Lady Railsplitters return to Harrogate to host arch-nemesis Carson-Newman on Wednesday, February 4 for a South Atlantic Conference showdown. Tip-off in that contest is set for 6 p.m. in Tex Turner Arena.