NEWBERRY, S.C. -- The 13th-ranked Railsplitters (9-1, 5-0 SAC) will attempt to nail down the sixth winning streak of 10 games or longer in the Josh Schertz era on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. when they cap the 2015 portion of the schedule against the Newberry Wolves (8-3, 3-2 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's hoops action at Eleazer Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial finally put together the 40 minutes of high-energy basketball that Schertz has been looking for and extended its winning streak to nine games on Wednesday at Tex Turner Arena with a wire-to-wire 103-57 beatdown of the Wingate Bulldogs. 
 
The Railsplitters opened on a 14-0 run and finished shooting 58.5 percent from the field against the South Atlantic Conference's stingiest defensive unit, who entered Wednesday's contest allowing just 72.1 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting. On the other end, Lincoln Memorial held Wingate 27 points below its average on a dismal 29 percent clip, while also amassing a 52-29 rebounding edge against a team that was previously sporting a plus 7.0 advantage on the glass.
 
Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) had a game-high 27 points, while Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) put up 20 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) notched 12 points and a career-high seven assists, helping the Railsplitters hand out 22 helpers on 38 field goals, while Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) tallied 13 points, six boards and four assists.
 
By cresting the 100-point plateau for the fifth time this season, the Railsplitters are now leading the league and ranked second in the nation behind only No. 1 nationally-ranked West Liberty in terms of scoring offense with 96.7 points per game. If that mark holds, it would be the second-highest, single-season scoring output in program history, falling just shy of the 1986-87 squad that scored 104 points per game.
 
Now the Railsplitters must prepare for one of the most unique challenges in not only the South Atlantic Conference, but the nation as whole, traveling to Newberry to complete a stretch of three games in six days.
 
The Wolves entered the 2015-16 campaign with meager expectations after losing their top two scorers off of last season's team in Demarkus Smith and Dondray Walker, but Newberry is once again finding ways to win while putting up points in bunches and playing at an outrageous pace.
 
Pace and scoring have become synonymous with head coach Dave Davis' program, as the Wolves implement a platoon system that thrives on creating frenzied and chaotic games, forcing turnovers, and launching three-pointers in large quantities. The Wolves are ranked ninth in the nation in scoring offense with 92.5 points per game, fifth in steals per game with 11.3, eighth in total made three-pointers with 113, second in turnovers forced per game with 21.9 and fifth in offensive rebounds per game with 16. Newberry also leads the SAC in both field goal attempts per game (71.5) and three-point tries per game (32).
 
"Newberry is a very difficult team to play every year," Schertz said of the challenge that awaits his team. "They keep coming at you and do a great job of pressuring you every possession for 40 minutes. Offensively, it comes from their dribble drive and transition. On defense, it comes from the trapping, running and jumping and press."
 
The Newberry system is one of give and take, though, as the Wolves are ranked last in the SAC and 263rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense by allowing 47.8 percent shooting. They give up 84 points per game, which is also last in the league.
 
"It's a game where you have to go make plays when you have numbers, but you have to be ball tough enough to get into those situations," Schertz said. "On the defensive side, you have to be very, very sound. It all starts with transition defense, getting back and getting set. In five-on-five, you better be ready to slide your feet, have precise rotations and check out on the backboards, because they send five to the offensive glass."
 
Newberry is riding a two-game winning streak with wins in five of its last six games. The Wolves held on for a 99-93 win at Mars Hill on Wednesday after beating Anderson at home 81-73 last Saturday.
 
The Wolves have exploded from three-point territory a couple of times this season, burying a SAC-record 22 triples against Allen in a 122-69 win on December 1. They also knocked down 16 threes at Carson-Newman in an 86-84 win on December 5.
 
Xavier Holmes leads the Wolves with 16.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on 58.6 percent shooting. Mitch Riggs is contributing 12.9 points and 2.3 assists per night, while James Stepp is putting up 11.6 points per game on 34.7 percent shooting from deep. Brandon Taylor is averaging 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
 
Lincoln Memorial is 13-6 all-time against Newberry with five straight wins on Newberry's home court as well as five straight wins overall. The closest margin of victory for the Railsplitters over that span is 12 points.
 
That occurred in last season's meeting in Newberry, when the Railsplitters held the Wolves to their lowest point total since February, 2013 in an 80-68 victory. LMU shot 52.5 percent from the field and knocked down 12 of their 28 attempts from three-point range, while Newberry finished 32.8 percent from the field and 5-for-33 from deep.
 
Choice, who is averaging 30 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in two career appearances in Newberry, led the way with 26 points, six three-pointers, six rebounds and two assists, making the Laurens, S.C. native 14-for-25 from three-point territory all-time at Eleazor Arena. Simmons added 19 points with five triples off of the bench.
 
Since dropping their season opener at King, the Railsplitters have won nine straight games. Since the start of Josh Schertz's tenure with Lincoln Memorial, the Railsplitters have compiled five different winning streaks of 10 games or longer. They've had at least one 10-game winning streak in each of the past two seasons.
 
Game time is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday in Newberry, S.C. Live stats, video and audio links are all available at www.LMURailsplitters.com, the comprehensive online home of Lincoln Memorial University athletics.