HARROGATE, Tenn. -- After securing a convincing win over their biggest rival and with two pivotal South Atlantic Conference contests looming large on the horizon, the 17th-ranked Railsplitters (3-1) look to avoid a letdown and shore up some things defensively when they host the Virginia-Wise Cavaliers (0-4) for an NCAA Division II tilt at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Lincoln Memorial is coming off of a statement win over arch-rival Carson-Newman on Tuesday at Tex Turner Arena, as a first-half blitzkrieg led the Railsplitters to a 98-82 victory against the Eagles in the 200th all-time meeting between the two programs.
 
An early 12-0 run kick-started by back-to-back transition three-pointers from Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) highlighted a first half that saw the Railsplitters outscore the Eagles, 49-26. Lincoln Memorial shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and limited Carson-Newman to a dismal 9-for-28 effort while forcing eight turnovers.
 
That 23-point cushion proved valuable in the second half, too, as the Eagles piled up 56 points and shot 55.6 percent from the field to make things interesting down the stretch. But Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) accounted for 24 of his career-high 37 points in the second stanza to help the Railsplitters keep the Eagles at bay.
 
Simmons was one of five players to make a major impact for the Railsplitters, as Steele had 19 points and five assists, Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) notched 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks, Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) had 10 points, and Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) collected eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds. 
 
"We got nice contributions across the board and it's overall a really good win against a team that, in my opinion, will be an NCAA tournament team," LMU head coach Josh Schertz said. "They're certainly a contender for the South Atlantic Conference championship, so it's a good start. But there's a lot to clean up. Like always, you have to improve and we have a lot to work on to get ready for Saturday."
 
The second half once again proved to be a mild concern for the Railsplitters, who were outscored 56-49 after going into the locker room with a 23-point advantage. Through four games, Lincoln Memorial has outscored its opponents, 193-111, in the first half, but has been outscored, 194-173, in the second half.
 
"We've shown in glimpses that we can be outstanding," Schertz said. "But again, to become the team that has a chance to have a big time terrific year, it has to be more than spurts. It has to be sustained."
 
With the first game of the grueling South Atlantic Conference schedule in the books, the Railsplitters now direct their attention to a Virginia-Wise squad that is still seeking its first win of the 2015-16 campaign.
 
The Cavaliers opened the season with narrow losses to Elizabeth City State University (69-73) and Chowan University (81-86), but have since been blown out by Charleston (64-79) and most recently West Virginia State (65-85). In the loss to West Virginia State, UVA-Wise shot 30.6 percent from the field, was outrebounded 56-36 and allowed 46 percent shooting, which have been three early-season trends for a team that went just 2-26 last season.
 
The Cavaliers have struggled mightily both offensively and defensively this season, scoring 69.8 points per game on 34.2 percent shooting while serving up 80.8 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting. Nearly half of UVA-Wise's field goal attempts - 109 of 257 - have come from beyond the three-point arc, where they are shooting just 27.5 percent. The Cavaliers are also being outrebounded by 11 boards per game at 45.8 to 34.8.
 
Matt Day - a somewhat local product hailing from Buckhorn, Ky. - is averaging a double-double for the Cavaliers with 19.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, while Philip Owens II is contributing 14 points and three assists per appearance. Dimitri Sousa (10.8 points per) and Camryn Fort (10.5 per) are also accounting for double figure points per game for Virginia-Wise.
 
"I felt like we would be ready to go (against Carson-Newman). Playing Carson-Newman, who whipped us in the SAC tournament championship last season, in front of a couple thousand people in Tex Turner Arena, you're going to be externally motivated in that scenario," Schertz said. "The question for us and kind of the litmus test going forward is how do we come back to practice? What is our focus, concentration and focus like getting ready for the challenge that Saturday presents, because it does present a tremendous amount of challenges. Completely different than the challenge that Carson-Newman presented, but we have to get ready and prepare well, especially on our discipline and execution on the defensive side of the ball."
 
The Railsplitters have completely dominated the last two meetings against UVA-Wise, winning 107-55 in Wise, Va. last season and notching an 83-57 win inside of Tex Turner Arena in December, 2013. But the Cavaliers did defeat Lincoln Memorial, 81-80, in overtime back in 2012. That Railsplitters led that contest 46-35 at the half, but were outscored 40-29 in the second half before eventually suffering the one-point loss in overtime.
 
In last season's 52-point win in Wise, Va., five different players hit double figures for the Railsplitters, led by Choice's 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting. McMillion added 16 points and six boards in only 19 minutes, while Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.) and Pinson had 13 and 10, respectively. Lincoln Memorial shot a season-high 61.2 percent from the field, held the Cavaliers to 28.8 percent shooting and accumulated a 51-24 advantage on the glass.
 
The Railsplitters haven't lost to UVA-Wise at home since 1996, when the University was then known as Clinch Valley College.
 
Following Saturday's contest, the Railsplitters' focus will shift to December 2nd's road trip to Lenoir-Rhyne, a resurgent program that is off to a 4-0 start that includes a season-opening victory over No. 13 UNC Pembroke.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live stat, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also follow along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.

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