HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Seeking to stem the tide of a season-long three-game losing streak, the Lady Railsplitters (7-5, 4-2 SAC) return to Tex Turner Arena on Wednesday evening to host the Anderson Trojans (7-3, 4-2 SAC) for a South Atlantic Conference battle.

It's been a tough road for Lincoln Memorial since seeing its four-game winning streak come to an end on December 17 in a 20-point loss to the King Tornado, as the Lady Railsplitters have dropped three straight appearances by an average margin of nearly 17 points. It marks the first time the Lady Railsplitters have fallen by double figures in three consecutive games since the back half of the 2010-11 season.

Most recently, LMU traveled to Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday afternoon and suffered an 85-67 setback at the hands of the Bears. The Lady Railsplitters were limited to 39 percent shooting, while L-R finished 30-for-61 (49.2 percent) from the floor. The visiting unit almost shot 60 percent in the first half, but a 10-for-39 effort in the second half resulted in the Lady Railsplitters being outscored by 14 points in the period. Freshman Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) led LMU with a career-high 12 points, 10 of which were scored in the second half alone.   

A sputtering offense has been mostly to blame for the Lady Railsplitters' recent struggles. During that four game winning streak, LMU never shot worse than 43 percent over that span. Since December 17, when the current losing streak began, the Lady Railsplitters have not shot better than 39 percent in a single game. The Lady Railsplitters are cumulatively 9-for-41 from three-point range and 43-for-73 from the free throw line during that same stretch.

In order to turn things back around, the Lady Railsplitters are going to have to get through an opponent that was responsible for their first SAC loss back on November 25, the Anderson Trojans. The Lady Railsplitters shot just under 35 percent and turned the ball over 21 times, which resulted in 18 points for the Trojans, in a 74-69 loss in Anderson, S.C. Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) led LMU with 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds before fouling out. Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) picked up a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) filled out the stat sheet with 10 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals. The Lady Railsplitters had a real chance to win that game, pulling to within two at 62-60 with six and a half minutes left, but a couple of Anderson runs ultimately sent LMU home empty handed.  

The Trojans are 4-3 since the initial meeting with the Lady Railsplitters, ripping off a four game winning streak from December 3-16. But Anderson arrives in Harrogate looking to snap a losing streak of their own, as the Trojans have dropped back-to-back SAC contests to Wingate and Catawba. Anderson shot just 28 percent in an 11-point loss at Wingate, and they finished 19-for-62 (30.6 percent) from the floor in the 14-point loss to the Indians. Those figures aren't completely out of character for the Trojans, though, as they rank eighth in the league with a paltry 38.4 percent shooting. They make up for the difference by limiting their opponents to just a 37 percent mark.

The Trojans are led by senior guards Lesley Woods and Sierra Simpson. Woods is averaging 12.5 points with 3.4 three-pointers and 2.3 assists per game, while Simpson is accounting for 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Jennifer Monroe, Jasmine Franklin and Heather Jankowy are each posting about 7.5 points per game. Alexis Dillard leads the Trojans with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Including the loss on November 25, the Lady Railsplitters are 4-7 against Anderson in the all-time series. They have fared substantially better at Tex Turner Arena, where LMU holds a 3-2 mark since the 2010-11 campaign. The Lady Railsplitters cruised in a 63-50 win over the Trojans in the last regular-season meeting at Tex, but Anderson ended LMU's 2013-14 season with a 71-64 overtime victory in the quarterfinals of the SAC Championship.

Tip-off between the Lady Railsplitters and Trojans is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday night in Harrogate, Tenn. Live stats as well as a free HD video broadcast will be available for fans at www.LMURailsplitters.com. Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace will have the radio call at WLMU 91.3 the Gap. Pre-game coverage begins at 5:40.

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