HICKORY, N.C. -- The Lady Railsplitters (3-2, 1-0 SAC) look to push their winning streak to four and knock off the floundering Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (1-4, 0-1 SAC) for the first time since 2012 on Wednesday evening, when they stop in Hickory, N.C. for a 4 p.m. South Atlantic Conference tilt at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
 
A big fourth quarter helped Lincoln Memorial defeat a previously unbeaten opponent for the second consecutive game on Saturday afternoon at Tex Turner Arena. With the game knotted at 38-38 after three frames, the Lady Railsplitters opened the fourth quarter on a 20-6 run in route to a 72-58 victory over the University of the Cumberlands in the first meeting between the two teams since 1997. Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) collected her third straight double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Sydnie Anderson (Cleveland, Tenn.) notched a career-high 14 points to pace Lincoln Memorial's third straight win. That contest was also highlighted by LMU's season-low nine turnovers, the fewest of the Krystal Evans era.
 
The Lady Railsplitters will now look to end a six-game losing skid against a Lenoir-Rhyne team that is still trying to figure itself out.
 
The Bears won three of the six South Atlantic Conference regular season titles from 2008-14 under current Indiana women's basketball assistant coach Todd Starkey, but the struggles from last season's 12-16 finish have carried over to this season, which shouldn't be too surprising considering that Lenoir-Rhyne graduated two All-SAC selections and the program's top two scorers in Jazmine Charles and Jenni Gust. Early in the second season of head coach Katie Pate's tenure, the Bears enter Wednesday's game with a 1-4 record, which includes three straight losses.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne will have just one day to prepare for the Lady Railsplitters, too, as they traveled to unbeaten North Georgia on Monday and came away with a 57-47 loss. The Bears held a 29-20 halftime lead, but were limited to just 18 second-half points, with only five points in the third quarter.
 
An unsettling combination of bad offense and defense has denied the Bears of much early-season success. L-R is ranked 11th in the SAC in points per game with 54.6 on a league-worst 31.8 field goal percentage, which has been pulled down by a SAC-low 17.5 percent clip from three-point territory. On the other end of the floor, the Bears are serving up 68.2 points per game on 44 percent shooting.
 
Four of Lenoir-Rhyne's first five games have been played on the road, but their most lopsided loss of the season took place in Hickory, where the Bears were absolutely pummeled by the visiting Wingate Bulldogs, 84-34, in the South Atlantic Conference opener.
 
Senior guard Jasmine Stafford is the lone Lenoir-Rhyne player averaging double digits with 10.8 points per game. Morgan Cooper is chipping in 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Shelly Harper is adding 7.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per appearance. Madi Suddreth is the only Bear with a shooting percentage above 42 percent with at least 20 shot attempts, as she is averaging 6.6 points per game on a 53.6 percent clip.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are 4-14 all-time against Lenoir-Rhyne with six consecutive losses since January, 2013. Lincoln Memorial last defeated the Bears on February 25, 2012, winning 72-67 in Hickory.
 
Lincoln Memorial came ever so close to ending that skid in last season's meeting at Tex Turner Arena, as a jumper by Pittman gave the Lady Railsplitters a 56-55 lead with 1:13 to play. But the Lady Railsplitters would not register another shot attempt in the contest, while two late free throws helped the Bears escape with a 57-56 victory. Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) had 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks to lead LMU, while Jordan Hiatt notched 11 points for the Bears.
 
Last season's meeting in Hickory was a bit more one-sided, though, as the Bears led wire-to-wire and pulled away late in the second half to capture an 85-67 win. Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) paced the lady Railsplitters with 12 points, while Pittman had 10 points and five boards. Cooper went 7-of-12 from the field with 19 points for the Bears.
 
After being outscored 48-31 in the fourth quarter of their first two games, the Lady Railsplitters have combined to out-produce their last three opponents 78-54 in the final period. After the second quarter, when Lincoln Memorial holds a 94-65 cumulative scoring edge, the fourth period is the Lady Railsplitters second-best plus/minus quarter of the season (109-102).
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday in Hickory. Live stat, video and audio links will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.