SALISBURY, N.C. -- A shutdown defensive performance was undone as the Lady Railsplitters (14-14, 11-11 SAC) turned the ball over 26 times and suffered a 75-55 loss to the Catawba Indians (17-10, 14-8 SAC) in the regular season finale on Saturday in Salisbury, N.C.
 
Despite Saturday's 20-point loss, Lincoln Memorial earned a spot in next week's South Atlantic Conference Championship field. The Lady Railsplitters finished sixth in the final league standing and they will travel to three-seeded Newberry for the quarterfinal round on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tip.
 
The Lady Railsplitters limited the Indians to a dismal 31.1 percent (19-for-61) mark from the field and a 33.3 percent (5-for-15) effort from three-point range, but foul trouble and turnovers ultimately destroyed Lincoln Memorial's chances.
 
The Lady Railsplitters finished with 26 turnovers, awarding the Indians 15 more shot attempts over the course of the game. The visiting unit also committed a season-high 32 fouls as Catawba accounted for a 16-point swing at the free-throw line (32-16 in made free throws) alone.
 
Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) led the Lady Railsplitters with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. She added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) logged another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Sydnie Anderson (Cleveland, Tenn.) contributed nine points in 13 efficient minutes off the bench, while Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) chipped in seven points and a pair of rebounds.
 
The Lady Railsplitters finished shooting 39.1 percent (18-for-46) from the field, 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from three and 66.7 percent (16-for-24) at the charity stripe. Catawba narrowly won the battle of the boards 42-39, while LMU outscored the Indians 24-20 in the paint.
 
Catawba's Chloe Bully led all players with 22 points, while Bri Johnson poured in 19 points with 12 free throws in 36 minutes. Terri Rogers chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. Jada Huntley paced the Indians with eight rebounds.
 
The Lady Railsplitters never led in Saturday's contest, but the game was tied on three different occasions.
 
Catawba evened the season series with the Lady Railsplitters and returned the favor from LMU's 77-57 win at Tex Turner Arena on January 24.
 
The South Atlantic Conference Championship begins on Wednesday, March 4 as the Lady Railsplitters trek to Newberry, S.C. for quarterfinal round action against the Newberry Wolves. Lincoln Memorial suffered an 82-72 loss at Newberry back on February 7.