HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (12-9, 9-6 SAC) begin a road-heavy closing stretch on Saturday afternoon, paying a visit to Eleazer Arena for a South Atlantic Conference battle against the Newberry Wolves (13-8, 9-6 SAC). Lincoln Memorial tips off that contest at 2 p.m. in Newberry, S.C.
 
The duo of Aisjah Lee (Louisville, Ky.) and Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) willed the Lady Railsplitters to victory on Wednesday night, combining for 47 points in a gritty 90-85 overtime win against arch-rival Carson-Newman. Lee scored 22 of her 27 points in the second half and overtime, while Harding obliterated her previous career-high with 20 points and 13 rebounds in 41 minutes of action. Lincoln Memorial relinquished a five-point lead in the final minute of regulation and faced a four-point deficit in the OT, but Lee logged 10 points in the final four minutes of the frame to bulldoze the Lady Railsplitters to the their fifth consecutive win at home.
 
Free throws almost cost the Lady Railsplitters that game, and it's been an issue that has continually reared its head throughout the season. LMU is shooting 62.1 percent from the charity stripe as a team, the worst mark in the South Atlantic Conference and one of the least efficient clips among all Division II schools (271st out of 289 teams ranked). The Lady Railsplitters went 18-for-33 from the line in Wednesday's win over Carson-Newman, the 14th time this season they have failed to make at least 70 percent of their freebies.
 
While a five-game home winning streak has locked the Lady Railsplitters in a four-way logjam for third in the SAC standings, a six-game road losing streak has prevented them from propelling into the race for the league championship. Lincoln Memorial has not won a road game since November 22, a 52-41 win at last-place Queens. The Lady Railsplitters have fared much better in their two January road tests, though, shooting 49.1 percent in a narrow loss at Coker last Saturday, and racking up 84 points in a one-point loss at Mars Hill on January 21.
 
Shaking off that losing skid won't be easy on Saturday as the Lady Railsplitters have not won at Newberry in more than 20 years. Lincoln Memorial has yet to win in Newberry since joining the South Atlantic Conference for the 2006-07 campaign, falling nine straight times at Eleazer Arena over that span. The Lady Railsplitters' last win over the Wolves outside of Harrogate was on February 6, 1993, a 99-52 triumph under current Athletic Director Roger Vannoy.
 
Along with vying for the program's first true road win over Newberry since the 1992-93 season, the Lady Railsplitters are attempting to sweep the regular-season series against the Wolves for the first time in program history. Lincoln Memorial dominated both ends of the floor in an 86-76 win over the Wolves on December 15 at Tex Turner Arena. The home team shot 50.9 percent and limited the visitors to 38.3 percent shooting in that contest. Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) and Lee carried a bench unit that outscored Newberry's reserves 39-14, as Rawls poured in 14 points and Lee added nine points.
 
Newberry is 7-4 since falling to the Lady Railsplitters, but enter Saturday's contest with losses in three of the past four games. The Wolves suffered an 81-72 setback at second-place Anderson last Saturday before being pummeled at first-place Wingate 67-51 on Wednesday. Newberry's offensive efficiency has been in a steep decline during this four-game lull, shooting just 36.7 from the field. Despite that recent wall, the Wolves still rank second in the SAC with a 42.8 field-goal percentage.
 
Junior Samantha Creed and senior Haylee Lepaio have led Newberry all season. Creed is pouring in 17.8 points per game, while adding four rebounds and 3.5 assists per appearance. Lepaio is nearly averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Freshman Nicola Handreck is backing that pair with 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Zara Pearson, Emily Perry and Jaya Schultz are all three pitching in over six points per game.
 
The Wolves are 7-2 at home this season, but the numbers have not suggested that they have played better there. Newberry shoots at a higher rate on the road from the field and from three, while the Wolves also commit three turnovers more per game at home.
 
Tip-off between the Lady Railsplitters and Wolves is slated for 2 p.m. Live stats and a video broadcast will be available through www.NewberryWolves.com. Fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace via WLMU 91.3 the Gap. Pre-game coverage begins at 1:40.

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