HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- The Lady Railsplitters (11-6, 8-4 SAC) saw Coker (6-12, 5-7 SAC) erase late deficits in both regulation and the first overtime before pulling ahead in the second overtime to capture a thrilling 77-70 victory over the Cobras Saturday afternoon in the DeLoach Center.

Lincoln Memorial shot 34.4 percent (21-for-61) from the field and 12.5 percent (1-for-8) from three-point range for the game. However, 34 made free throws and a 58-40 differential on the backboard made up for the cold shooting from the field. Coker had a similar night, going 33.8 percent (24-for-71) from the field, 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from three-point range and 61,9 percent (9-21) from the free throw line.

The Lady Railsplitters were led by Britney Guy's (Locust Grove, Ga.) 16 points. Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) added in 15 points, seven rebounds and a block, while Kortnay Cox (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) had 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) led things off as she put LMU up 2-0 with a layup with 6:43 left in the first quarter. Coker's Kendra Lambert then hit a three-pointer on the next possession to put the Cobras up 3-2. LMU managed to tie the game at 8-8 with 2:11 left in the period on a Guy layup, but Coker took the lead again and held on for the 16-14 lead after the first quarter.

The Lady Railsplitters would tie the game three times in the second quarter, but Coker would answer each LMU basket with one of their own and pulled out to the 28-23 lead at the half.

The third quarter was more of the same as there were three ties and three lead changes as neither team could pull out to a comfortable margin. A pair of Pittman free throws with eleven seconds left gave LMU the 43-41 lead going into the fourth.

After trading baskets and the 12th tie of the game at 49-49, the Lady Railsplitters began to get their transition game going and rolled out to a 55-50 lead with 41 seconds left after Cox appeared to go up for a shot into a triple team but instead passed it off to an open Kelly for the open jumper. Coker's Lambert then went for a three-pointer on the next possession but was fouled. She hit two of the three to cut the lead to 55-52 with 29 seconds left. LMU then inbounded the ball to Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) who was fouled and hit one to put the Lady Railsplitter up by four. Coker then went to Lambert again, who hit a long three-pointer to cut the lead to one. Once again, LMU inbounded to Smith and she was fouled immediately, hitting one of two free throws to put the lead back to two. Following a Coker timeout, Kiara Shoals then went off a screen and tied the game at 57-57 with 9 seconds left. LMU's shot went in and out and the teams went to overtime.

In the first overtime Coker went on an early 4-0 run before a pair of free throws and a basket by Guy tied the game again at 61-61. With 30 seconds left and the score tied again at 64-64, LMU had three shots go awry before Harding corralled the rebound and put it back in while drawing the foul. She hit the free throw to give the Lady Railsplitters the 67-64 lead. On the next possession, Coker's Lambert hit a three from very long range to tie the game and send it to a second overtime.

After swapping baskets and free throws over the first four minutes of the second overtime, a pair of free throws by Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) put LMU up 70-69 with 1:09 left. After a missed basket by Coker, Cox hit a mid-range jumper to put LMU up 72-69. After Coker called a timeout to advance the ball, they worked the ball over to Jazz Green, who attempted a three-pointer but was fouled. She hit only one of the three free throws, so the Cobras were forced to then foul. Rawls hit two free throws and Cox added four down the stretch as LMU extended their lead out to 77-70 and held on for the hard-fought win.

Lambert and Green both led Coker with 17 points each, Lambert having a 5-for-8 performance from three-point range and Green also leading the Cobras with 13 rebounds, three steals and a block. Williams had 12 points and Shoals added in 11, including baskets to force both overtime and the second overtime. 

Quick Hits
The win is LMU's first at Coker... The 48 free throw attempts tie for the fifth most in a single-game in LMU history... The 38 made free throws are the sixth-most in a game... Megan Pittman is now two points away from the 500-point mark in her LMU career.

Up Next
LMU travels to Jefferson City for a rematch with the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. The Lady Railsplitters won the previous meeting 56-54 on a last-second jumper by Jasmine Kelly back on Nov. 24th in the Tex Turner Arena.