HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Two days removed from one of the most emotionally charged and physically demanding games in program history, the 15th-ranked Railsplitters (5-1, 2-0 SAC) will look to push their winning streak to six on Saturday, when they host the Coker Cobras (4-1, 0-1 SAC) for a 4 p.m. South Atlantic Conference men's hoops contest at Tex Turner Arena.
 
In a game that had to be seen to be believed, Lincoln Memorial overcame a second-half slump and outlasted the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears in a four-overtime thriller, 123-122, on Wednesday night in Hickory, N.C. That was not only the first four-overtime game in program history, but it was also the first game to require at least three overtimes since 1979.
 
The Railsplitters led by 20 with 17:50 remaining in regulation, but the Bears clawed all the way back to take an 80-76 lead with a little over a minute left. Lincoln Memorial missed 11 of its first 12 three-point attempts in the second half before Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) connected on the game-tying trey with 12 seconds left to force overtime. At the tail end of four drama-filled overtime periods, the Railsplitters once again found themselves facing a late deficit after Reed Lucas's three-pointer put L-R in front 122-21 with 18 seconds to go. But Simmons capped his 28-point performance by knocking down a floater in the lane to help the Railsplitters escape with a hard-fought victory.
 
"Whoever had the ball last was going to get it done, and we were fortunate it kind of fell the way it did," LMU head coach Josh Schertz said. "It showed a lot about the character and the makeup of the players on both teams. There was a point when you could have let go and said, 'it's important, but it's early in December', but neither team let go. Across the board, I have an extraordinary amount of respect for the players on both teams, and I'm really proud of our guys. I didn't think we played great, but we showed an unbelievable amount of character, fortitude, resiliency and mental toughness."
 
The Railsplitters paid a heavy price for that win, though, as four of Lincoln Memorial's five starters played at least 50 minutes in a game that was both fast-paced and physical from start to finish. Simmons played all 60 minutes, while Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) and Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) turned in 55 and 49 minutes, respectively. Both were unbelievably effective, too, as Choice had 21 points and eight rebounds, while Pinson produced 29 points and 20 rebounds, notching only the 10th 20-rebound performance in program history.
 
Unfortunately, there's no time for the Railsplitters to rest and recover with just two days standing between Wednesday's exhilarating win and Saturday's SAC contest against a tough and gritty Coker squad.
 
"Obviously you want to go into every game with a clear mind and fresh legs. I don't think there's any way that we're going to have fresh legs on Saturday," Schertz said. "Our preparation is going to be primarily from a mental side, going over and reviewing Coker. Donny (Grigsby) and his staff are going to do a great job on the athletic training side to make sure our guys are recovering as quickly as possible. From a rotation standpoint, I have to be really conscious of keeping fresh legs on the court and utilizing our depth."
 
Coker is coming off of an exhibition loss at UNC Wilmington on Wednesday night, but before that the Cobras scored a dramatic 71-69 win at Limestone on two late free throws by Trey Marshall back on November 28. The lone blemish on the Cobras' ledger came against Catawba in the South Atlantic Conference opener on November 24, as Coker nearly erased a 25-point deficit before ultimately suffering a 70-63 setback. 
 
The Cobras don't overwhelm from a talent standpoint alone, instead relying on unrelenting effort to win games.
 
Coker's offensive numbers aren't particularly noteworthy: 71.8 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting and a 26.9 percent clip from three-point range. But the Cobras do stand out in the toughness categories, ranking first in the SAC in points per game allowed with 63.6 and offensive rebounds per game with 17.2. Coker is holding opponents to a mere 40.5 percent shooting and committing the fewest turnovers per game in the league with 8.8.
 
"Over the two years we've played Coker, I've developed a tremendous amount of respect for Coach (Dan) Schmotzer and his program," Schertz said. "Those guys play with great toughness and physicality. They are usually very sound defensively and do a lot of switching, which causes problems for you offensively. They run good stuff and get good shots on offense. They challenge you in a lot of ways and you better be ready to respond physically."
 
Junior forward Donte Samuels is the unquestioned leader of the Cobras offense, as he enters play on Saturday averaging 19.4 points per game on 54 percent shooting. Marshall is contributing 9.6 points and 2.6 assists per game, while Jake Barrett is chipping in 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Trey James leads the team in rebounds with 6.6 per game.
 
The Railsplitters are 4-0 all-time against Coker, but the last two games have been decided by less than 10 points.
 
Lincoln Memorial was limited to 37.9 percent shooting in a 79-71 win over the Cobras in Tex Turner Arena last season. Curtis Webb (Spartanburg, S.C.) led the Railsplitters with a career-high 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three, while Choice and Simmons had 11 points apiece. Coker shot just 37.3 percent in that contest and went 4-for-19 from the three.
 
Later in the 2014-15 campaign, the Railsplitters won a nail biter in Hartsville, surviving a late run to capture a 62-58 victory. Choice had 10 points, while Samuels and Marshall combined for 31 points for the Cobras.
 
Simmons will look to continue his outstanding play for the Railsplitters, as the Accokeek, Md. native is averaging 27 points per game in his last three appearances. He has connected on 27 of his last 50 field goal attempts and played a key role in helping Lincoln Memorial push their offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) to 120.9. Even when considering a tepid 69-point performance against King, the Railsplitters lead the SAC in scoring with 100.5 points per game, which would be the second-highest mark in program history.
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live stat, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.