HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The top-ranked and undefeated Railsplitters (20-0, 14-0 SAC) look to keep the nation's longest active winning streak alive on Wednesday night, welcoming arch-rival Carson-Newman (10-10, 8-6 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for the 197th all-time meeting between the two programs. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
Lincoln Memorial survived a major scare of Saturday afternoon in Hartsville, S.C., narrowly escaping with a 62-58 win over the Coker Cobras. Unusually, the Railsplitters and Cobras finished with an identical field-goal percentage (43.1 percent) on the exact same number of shot attempts (51), but the difference was the outstanding play of senior center Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.). Peterson tallied his second consecutive double-double and fourth of the season by piling up 19 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Railsplitters to victory. The visiting unit was also able to overcome a gutsy effort by Coker's Errick Bethel and Donte Samuels, who combined 41 of the team's 58 points.
 
Peterson - the reigning South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week - has been on a tear of late for the Railsplitters. Prior to Saturday's monster double-double, the College Park, Ga. native racked up 16 points and 15 boards in a 39-point thrashing of Brevard. He has seemingly hit his stride as the season rounds the corner into the home stretch, as he has tallied double figures in five of his past six games after doing so just four times in his first 13 appearances.
 
Free throws have quietly become a problem for the Railsplitters, though, who rank last in the South Atlantic Conference with a 63 percent mark at the charity stripe. Lincoln Memorial has made at least 70 percent of its free throws in only three games this season. In Saturday's win, the Railsplitters went 11-for-21 at the free throw line with nine misses in the second half alone.
 
The Railsplitters have been able to accommodate for their shortcomings at the charity stripe with one of the most efficient offensive attacks in the nation. According to the most recent NCAA statistical update, Lincoln Memorial is ranked sixth in the nation with a 51.6 field-goal percentage.
 
Lincoln Memorial leads the nation in field-goal percentage defense, but will have its hands full against a Carson-Newman squad that shoots the rock at a 48.6 percent clip, the second-best mark among SAC opponents. The Eagles have won three straight games and shot 54 percent or better in each of their past four games. Three of the Eagles' top four scorers are shooting better than 60 percent for the season.
 
Despite those figures, the Eagles have been wildly inconsistent throughout the 2014-15 campaign. Prior to its current three-game winning streak, Carson-Newman suffered back-to-back losses to Coker and Tusculum, the league's 11th place team. Additionally, the Eagles boast wins against Newberry and Wingate as well as a loss to 12th place Mars Hill.
 
A good portion of those inconsistencies are a product of the Eagles' adjustment to life without Ishmael Sanders and Antoine Davis, two of the most prolific scorers in South Atlantic Conference history. That duo accounted for nearly 39 points and five and a half three-pointers per game last season. The Eagles have shifted the offensive focus from the outside to the inside as a result of that roster shakeup. The 2013-14 Carson-Newman team launched 20 three-pointer per game, while this year's squad ranks last in the SAC with 14.6 three-point tries per contest.
 
Junior forward Carson Brooks leads the way for the Eagles with 16 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest on 60.4 percent shooting. Senior guard Jared Johnson is scoring 12.5 points and handing out 2.6 assists per contest, while Sawyer Williams is pitching in 10.9 points on 61.1 percent shooting to go along with 4.6 boards per game. Josh Rogers is the third Eagle player shooting better than 60 percent, as he averages 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on a 64 percent clip. Guard Charles Clark has come on strong of late, scoring 20-plus points in two of the last three games. Clark compiled a season-high 26 points in Saturday's win over Catawba.
 
Wednesday marks the 197th all-time meeting in the historic LMU/Carson-Newman rivalry. The two teams enter Wednesday's contest deadlocked at 98 wins apiece. The Railsplitters split the regular-season series with C-N in 2013-14, winning 77-60 in Harrogate while dropping a 77-79 decision in Jefferson City. Lincoln Memorial ended Carson-Newman's season with a 76-65 win in the quarterfinals of the 2014 NCAA Southeast Regional. Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) scored a game-high 22 points and buried six three-pointers, while Peterson posted a double-double with 10 points, 10 boards and four blocks in just 23 minutes.
 
In last season's meeting at Tex Turner Arena, the Railsplitters shot nearly 60 percent in the first half and built a 46-34 edge in route to a 17-point triumph. Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) poured in 15 points with six assists, while Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) had 11 points with three triples.
 
The Railsplitters are one of just three remaining unbeaten teams across all three levels of the NCAA, joining Division I Kentucky and Division III Marietta with that prestigious honor. Lincoln Memorial boasts the longest conference winning streak in the nation with 25 straight SAC wins, while also owning the nation's second-longest home winning streak with 25.
 
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday night. Live stats and an HD video broadcast are available via www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace from inside of Tex Turner Arena at WLMU 91.3 the Gap.

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