HARROGATE, Tenn. -- For the first time in the long and winding journey through the 2014-15 campaign, the third-ranked Railsplitters (25-1, 19-1 SAC) head into their upcoming contest with retribution weighing heavy on their minds. Lincoln Memorial seeks to avenge its one and only loss of the season on Wednesday evening with a trip to visit arch-rival Carson-Newman (14-12, 12-8 SAC) for an 5 p.m. tip-off in Holt Fieldhouse.
 
The first meeting between the Railsplitters and Eagles was arguably the most anticipated contest of the season. Lincoln Memorial welcomed Carson-Newman - unquestionably its biggest rival - to Tex Turner Arena as the nation's No. 1 ranked team with a perfect 20-0 record. The Eagles promptly rolled from start to finish, shooting 50 percent from the field and limiting the Railsplitters to 37.7 percent shooting, its worst field-goal percentage since February, 2012. Carson-Newman pulled away late with a bevy of free throws to hand Lincoln Memorial a stunning 87-72 defeat.
 
The Railsplitters have since returned to form in the wake of that loss, ripping off five straight wins and clinching the program's third consecutive South Atlantic Conference regular season title back on February 14 with a win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Lincoln Memorial grinded out a hard-fought win over Wingate on Saturday, and then pulled away late to capture an 87-75 win in Brevard on Monday.
 
In that win over the Tornados, the Railsplitters erased a one-point halftime deficit by outscoring Brevard by 13 points in the second stanza. Lincoln Memorial shot 53.8 percent and went 8-for-16 from three-point territory. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) amassed a season-high 27 points on 5-of-10 shooting from deep, Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) posted 16 points in 28 minutes off of the bench, and Emanuel Terry (Birmingham, Ala.) went for 15 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone.
 
Carson-Newman has been a mark of inconsistency for most of the 2014-15 season, but that has been especially true in February. After handing the nation's last remaining unbeaten team a 15-point loss on the road, the Eagles escaped 10th place Lenoir-Rhyne with a three-point win. The Eagles followed that up with a three-point home loss to ninth-place Brevard. After going 1-1 on trips to Wingate and Anderson, Carson-Newman put an absolute shellacking on Queens 87-62 on Monday night.
 
In that win over a big and talented Royals team, Carson-Newman shot 59.6 percent from the floor and outscored Queens 56-18 in the paint. Carson Brooks went 11-for-12 from the field and led all players with 28 points. Sawyer Williams poured in 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and Josh Rogers contributed 10 points.
 
That game parallels C-N's win over Lincoln Memorial in many ways as the Eagles outrebounded the Railsplitters 45-35 and accounted for a 48-32 advantage on points in the paint. Charles Clark scored 30 points, with the majority of his 11 field goals coming off of dribble drives into the paint. Brooks played second fiddle to Clark, scoring 20 points and leading all players with 11 boards.
 
For obvious reasons, Holt Fieldhouse has proven itself as a problematic venue for the Railsplitters in recent years. Since Josh Schertz's arrival prior to the 2008-09 season, Lincoln Memorial is 2-4 in Jefferson City, Tenn. In last season's meeting at Mossy Creek, Carson-Newman's pressure 2-3 zone gave the Railsplitters fit. LMU shot just 39.4 percent and suffered a 79-77 loss.
 
The Railsplitters have not lost back-to-back games to Carson-Newman since the 2011-12 season.
 
Choice - a sophomore shooting guard - is eyeing a milestone in Wednesday's match-up as the Laurens, S.C. native has knocked down a SAC-leading 88 three-pointers this season. Choice needs two more triples to surpass David Hopper (1990-91) for LMU's single-season record. Depending on the length of the Railsplitters' postseason run, Choice has an outside shot of catching Tusculum's Kyle Moore for the SAC single-season record of 117 made three-pointers. His 88 threes are already tied for the seventh-most in league history.
 
The Railsplitters invade Mossy Creek riding the nation's longest road winning streak with 12 consecutive triumphs outside of Tex Turner Arena. Dating back to last season, Lincoln Memorial has captured 14 straight true road wins. Carson-Newman's win in Jefferson City on February 5, 2014 was the last time the Railsplitters have tasted defeat in an opposing team's gym.
 
Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday evening. Live stats, video and audio will all be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com.

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