HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The final week of the regular season begins on Monday as the fifth-ranked Railsplitters (24-1, 18-1 SAC) visit the sputtering Brevard Tornados (10-15, 8-11 SAC) for a 7:10 p.m. tip in a makeup of last Wednesday's snow out.
 
Monday's trip to Brevard marks the second leg of a treacherous closing stretch that forces Lincoln Memorial to play four games over a seven-day period, with the final three contests coming on the road.
 
The Railsplitters got the result they were looking for in Saturday's 76-70 win over the Wingate Bulldogs, but not without a significant physical toll. Lincoln Memorial led for nearly 38 minutes and built as large as a 15-point cushion in the second half, but the Bulldogs clawed out of nearly every deficit to keep the game tight throughout. It was hard-fought battle in the paint as the Railsplitters mustered a slight 37-36 rebounding edge and outscored the 'Dogs 40-36 in the interior. Both Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) - who paced LMU with 16 points and 11 rebounds - and Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) played more than 37 minutes in that narrow win.
 
With just a day to recuperate, the Railsplitters prepare for a trip to Brevard that has been anything but kind in recent years. Lincoln Memorial is 14-3 all-time against the Tornados and all three of those losses have come in Boshamer Gymnasium. Back on February 16, 2011, Brevard handed the then fifth-ranked Railsplitters an 82-77 loss. The year before that, the Tornados rolled the Railsplitters 88-70. Since that loss in February, 2011, Lincoln Memorial has defeated the Tornados seven consecutive times, but the Railsplitters had to survive a narrow 73-71 win at Brevard two seasons ago.
 
In the first meeting between LMU and Brevard on January 28, the Railsplitters turned in their most lopsided win in South Atlantic Conference play this season with an 88-49 obliteration at Tex Turner Arena. The home team outscored the visitors by 23 points in the first half alone, shot 51.7 percent in the contest and limited the Tornados to just 17 field goals and a 29.3 percent mark from the field. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) led the way with 24 points and a 7-for-14 shooting clip, while Peterson churned out 16 points and 15 rebounds. Brevard's high-scoring duo of Darius Moose and Trevon Shaw combined for only 16 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
 
Brevard was tied for fifth in the SAC standings and sitting at 6-6 in league play prior to that first meeting, but the Tornados have since lost five of seven games and fallen out of playoff contention. Aside from the visit to Harrogate, all four of Brevard's losses over that span have come at home. On Saturday, the Tornados suffered a 99-79 defeat at the hands of Catawba, who shot 52.5 percent from the field, buried 14 three-pointers and went 23-for-29 at the charity stripe.
 
The numbers do not favor the Tornados in Monday's matchup. Brevard is ranked last in the SAC and 274th out of 294 Division II teams in field-goal percentage defense (48.2 percent), while the Railsplitters are eighth in the nation shooting 50.8 percent. The Tornados shoot the ball at a 43.1 percent clip, while the Railsplitters boast the nation's top field-goal percentage defense with a 36.9 percent mark. The Railsplitters are ranked third in the nation in rebounding margin with a plus 10.7 effort. The Tornados are 286th out of 294 teams with a minus 7.5 rebounding margin.
 
The Tornados are led by Darius Moose and Trevon Shaw. Moose is scoring 17.2 points on 46.9 percent shooting and grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game, while Shaw is averaging 15.5 points (on 48.5 percent shooting) and 4.1 rebounds per game. Miles Leather is contributing 10.8 points per game while leading the team in rebounding with 6.1 boards per appearance. Phil Wallace is factoring in right at 10 points per game.
 
With three assists in Saturday's win over Wingate, Ross took over sole possession of sixth place in Lincoln Memorial's record book for career assists with 404. He needs two assists to surpass Bill Cain for fifth all-time, while 31 assists would tie him with Nick Sanford for fourth place.
 
Peterson became just the 13th player in program history to accumulate 500 career rebounds with his 11 boards against the Bulldogs. He ranks 10th all-time in school history with 371 defensive rebounds.
 
Choice buried four three-pointers on Saturday, bringing his SAC-leading total to 83. He is just seven three-pointers away from tying David Hopper for LMU's single-season record for made three-pointers.
 
Monday's game will be broadcast regionally throughout western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina on WMYA My40.
 
Tip-off is set for 7:10 p.m. in Brevard, N.C. Live stats will be available for that contest via www.LMURailsplitters.com.

Live Stats
WYMA My40