Harrogate, Tenn. -- A gutsy comeback by the Lady Railsplitters (8-6, 5-4 SAC) ended up coming short of the upset of 14th-ranked Anderson as the Trojans (11-1, 9-0 SAC) pulled away in the second overtime to capture the 88-83 win Wednesday evening in the Tex Turner Arena.

Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) had a gem of a game with her eighth double-double of the season as she had a career-high 24 points, 18 rebounds and career-high 4 blocks in the loss. Kiara Rawls (Kileen, Texas) added in 17 points. six rebounds and 4 assists. Ross Mathis (Greer, S.C.) had 17 points, including a career-high 5 three-pointers, to go along with 4 assists while Britney Guy (Locust Grove, Ga.) had 11 points. The game also saw the return of Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.), who was recently granted a medical exemption by the NCAA. She had 11 rebounds.

As a team, LMU shot 39.3 percent (33-84) from the field, 30 percent (6-20) from three-point range and 42.3 percent (11-26) from the free throw line. The Lady Railsplitters outrebounded a team for the 12th time out of 14 games this season as they pulled down 61 boards to Anderson's 55. The 13 total team blocks are a new program record for LMU.

The game was nip-and-tuck early on as there were four ties and three lead changes in the first quarter. LMU first went out to the 6-2 lead off of three quick buckets by Pittman. Anderson then went on a run of their own to take a 10-7 lead with 6 minutes remaining before jumpers by Pittman and Rawls put LMU up 11-10 a couple of minutes later. Anderson went out to the 14-12 lead before Smith hit the short turnaround jumper to tie the game at 14-14 with 2:11 left. Another basket by Smith sandwiched by baskets from AU's Jennifer Monroe, who had 14 of Anderson's 18 first-quarter points, gave Anderson the 18-16 lead after the first period.

The second quarter saw LMU cut the Trojan lead to two on two separate occasions but never get over the hump as Anderson held on to take the 37-32 lead at the half.

LMU coach Krystal Evans used the halftime break to make some adjustments which paid off as LMU began to assert their dominance on the boards to roll off a 7-0 run that gave the Lady Railsplitters the 43-41 lead off a Pittman jumper with 5:46 remaining. The teams then traded a pair of baskets before back-to-back three pointers by Anderson put the Trojans up 52-46 with a minute left. A defensive rebound by Mathis led to a long pass to Guy for the fast-break layup with one second left to cut the lead to 52-48 at the end of three.

The large and rowdy crowd was treated to a very entertaining fourth quarter which saw Anderson pull out to the 65-58 lead with 2:21 left off the Jankowy three-pointer. Mathis then sparked a run with a three-pointer, an assist to Pittman for a mid-range jumper, and another three-pointer to give LMU the 66-65 lead with 52 seconds left in the game. AU's Alexis Dillard then tied the game when she hit one of two from the free throw line with 34 seconds left. On the next possession Rawls found Smith in the paint with 19 seconds left for the open layup and the 68-66 lead. Dillard then took a quick pass and drove into the lane to draw the foul and sank both free throws to tie the game at 68-68 with 3.1 seconds remaining. LMU then called the timeout to advance the ball. They then inbounded the ball to Pittman, whose 19-footer went off the back rim, sending the game to overtime.

The Lady Railsplitters carried over their momentum from the end of the fourth quarter to go out to the 75-70 lead following a Guy jumper in the paint with 1:42 left in the first overtime. A basket by Dillard and a three-pointer from the corner by Madison Floyd saw Anderson tie the game with 12 seconds left. LMU then got the ball to Guy who drove in for the potential buzzer-beating game-winner, but the shot fell short.

In the second overtime Anderson took advantage of a pair of LMU fouls to take the 78-75 lead off of free throws by Dillard. A Rawls lay-up and a pair of free throws by Guy then put the Lady Railsplitters up 79-78 with 2:40 left. The lead then see-sawed back and forth before AU's Nakia Young darted through traffic to grab the rebound and putback to give the Trojans the 84-83 lead with 58 seconds left. Following a missed shot by LMU, Jankowy then got the basket and the free throw to give Anderson the 87-83 lead with 14 seconds remaining. LMU had a couple of shots go awry before Jankowy got the rebound and the foul with 5 seconds left. She hit the first to put Anderson up 88-83 and seal the victory for the Trojans.

Jankowy led the Trojans with 22 points, followed by Monroe with 20. Dillard had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Floyd and Young added in 11 points each.

Quick Hits
Pittman's double-double is the 14th of her career. The LMU women's record for double-doubles is 32, held by Hillary Ross (2000-04)...Pittman's 18 rebounds is tied for the tenth-best in a single game...The 61 team rebounds is tied for the fifth-best in a game in program history...LMU is now 4-11 all-time vs. ranked teams in the Turner Arena...LMU is now 3-1 all-time in double-overtime contests.

Up Next
LMU travels to Catawba on Saturday, Jan. 16 to face the Catawba Indians for the first time this season. Catawba comes into the contest with a 7-8 overall record and a 4-5 record in SAC play following a 73-69 win over Wingate Wednesday evening.