HARROGATE, Tenn. -- With the first leg of their title defense complete, the third-ranked Railsplitters (28-1) head to Greenville, S.C. on Saturday to square off against the Queens Royals (17-12) in the semifinal round of the South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at Furman University's Timmons Arena.
 
The winner of Saturday's contest advances to Sunday's SAC Championship final, where the winner of second-seeded Carson-Newman and third-seeded Newberry awaits.
 
The top-seeded Railsplitters used a suffocating second-half defense to knock off the No. 8 seed Brevard Tornados on Wednesday in Tex Turner Arena and advance to the semifinals of the SAC Championship for the sixth straight season. Lincoln Memorial only led by two points at the half, thanks to a four-point play from Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) in the waning seconds, as the Tornados shot 46.4 percent from the field and racked up 38 points in the first 20 minutes. The second half was a much different story, though, as the Railsplitters allowed only 18 points on a dismal 23.8 percent shooting. SAC Player of the Year Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.) scored 15 points, handed out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds, while Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.) accounted for 14 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Lincoln Memorial is just one win away from breaking the SAC single-season record for wins, which was set by the Railsplitters last season. The 2013-14 team finished with a 28-3 overall record, establishing a new league benchmark for wins and winning percentage. Entering Saturday's contest, the Railsplitters already own three of the five winningest seasons in SAC history: 28 (2014-15), 28 (2013-14), 27 (2010-11).
 
An enduring storyline entering the weekend is Lincoln Memorial's quest to host the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. After holding steady at No. 2 in first two Southeast Region rankings, the Railsplitters finally overtook Mount Olive for the top spot. The top team in the final region rankings - to be released on Sunday, March 8 via an NCAA selection show - earns the right to host the Southeast Regional.
 
The Railsplitters have advanced to the title game of the SAC Championship in back-to-back seasons, capturing the 2014 tournament championship. Lincoln Memorial went through Newberry in the semifinals and Anderson in the final to win the program's second SAC Championship title last season.
 
In its hunt to become the sixth back-to-back tournament champion in league history, Lincoln Memorial must now go through a Queens squad that has found itself playing well at the right time.
 
After concluding the regular season with dominant road wins over Catawba and Anderson, the Royals cruised into the semifinals of the SAC Championship with an 84-66 win over the Wingate Bulldogs on Wednesday. Queens shot 50.9 percent in that contest, while limiting the Bulldogs to just a 36.2 percent mark. The Royals turned Wingate over 21 times and converted those miscues into 22 points. Rob Lewis poured in 27 points and Marquis Rankin accounted for 19 points and seven rebounds to lead Queens to victory.
 
Saturday's match-up will feature two of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation. The Railsplitters are ranked 12th in the country in terms of field-goal percentage with a 50.1 percent mark, while Queens is 28th in that department with a 48.6 percent clip. 
 
The Railsplitters swept the regular season series against Queens, improving to 6-1 in the seven head-to-head contests. Since Queens joined the South Atlantic Conference prior to the 2013-14 campaign, Lincoln Memorial has won all four meetings between the two teams. Saturday will mark the first postseason collision in the series.
 
A big closing run helped the Railsplitters escape Charlotte, N.C. with a 66-51 triumph in the first encounter with the Royals this season on November 22. LMU led by just four points with five minutes left in that contest before finishing on a 15-4 run. Queens went 17-for-52 (32.7 percent) from the field and knocked down just one of its 15 three-point attempts, while the Railsplitters shot 48.8 percent. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) had 18 points to lead all players, while Ross posted 13 points and five assists.
 
Lincoln Memorial dominated from start to finish in the second meeting, punishing the Royals in a 101-69 victory at Tex Turner Arena on January 17. The Railsplitters buried 12 three-pointers and finished shooting 52.9 percent from the field, while Queens was forced into a 39.3 percent effort. Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) led the way in that meeting with a career-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Five other players finished in double-figures for the Railsplitters.
 
Lewis and Morgan lead the Royals offensively, as both were selected to the All-SAC second team. Lewis is scoring a team-high 16.6 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting, while also chipping in 3.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Morgan, meanwhile, is averaging 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He is ranked third in the conference shooting 59.9 percent from the field. Marquis Rankin is backing that duo with 10.7 points and 3.6 assists per game.
 
In the first meeting with LMU, Morgan led the Royals with 17 points. He was the only Queens player in double-figures in that contest. In the second meeting, Rankin led all players with 21 points, while Morgan chipped in 12 points in 21 minutes.
 
Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. Fans can follow the game via live stats or a video feed, both of which will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com. Fans can also listen along live with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap. 

Live Stats
Video
Audio