HARROGATE, Tenn. -- In a rematch of the most thrilling game of the season and quite possibly in either programs' history, the seventh-ranked Railsplitters (17-2, 13-0 SAC) host the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (12-5, 7-5 SAC) for a South Atlantic Conference showdown at Tex Turner Arena on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Lincoln Memorial defeated Lenoir-Rhyne for the 11th straight time on December 2 in Hickory, N.C., but that game was far cry from the Railsplitters' recent trend in the series of ho-hum victories, as it required four overtimes for LMU to pull off the breathtaking 123-122 victory. It was only the second four-overtime game in the NCAA Division II this year, as Northern New Mexico and Western New Mexico opened the 2015-16 season with a four-overtime game.
 
The Railsplitters led by as many as 20 points in the second half, but the Bears erased that deficit and forced LMU to churn up some late-game magic in the form of a Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) three-pointer to force overtime. Nothing was resolved after three overtimes, as both teams came up with big play after big play, but Simmons capped his 28-point, seven-rebound, five-assist performance by scoring the game-winning bucket as time expired in the fourth overtime. Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) led the Railsplitters with 29 points and 20 rebounds, while Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) put up 21 points and eight boards.
 
There was no shortage of clutch performances on the other side, either, as Will Perry led Lenoir-Rhyne with 41 points on 7-of-11 from three, Billy Bales scored 20 points off the bench, Rob Noyes tallied 15 points and 18 rebounds and Keenan Palmore posted 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
The Railsplitters have continued their upward ascent since that contest, as they improved to 13-0 in SAC play by defeating Carson-Newman 100-89 on Wednesday night in Jefferson City, Tenn. Choice scored a career-high 38 points and matched the program's single-game record for three-pointers - set by Jalen  Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) earlier this season at Newberry - by going 10-for-17 from deep. He scored 19 points in the first nine minutes of the second half to help Lincoln Memorial bound out to a 24-point lead, which proved too much for an Eagles squad that shot 61.1 percent from the field to overcome. The Railsplitters buried 16 three-pointers as a team and shot 58 percent from the field.
 
Choice has been playing at another level entirely in 2016, averaging 22.1 points and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the field. The Laurens, S.C. native has drained 35 of his 67 three-point attempts over the last eight games for a 52.2 percent clip. 
 
Lenoir-Rhyne - ranked 24th in the nation in the most recent Division II Media Poll - has since slipped to 7-5 in SAC play, but those five blemishes are deceiving. The Bears lost by five points at Carson-Newman, fell in overtime at Newberry, lost by three points at nationally-ranked Queens and most recently suffered a two-point setback at Wingate, who is receiving votes in the latest NABC/Division II poll.
 
Points could very well pile up in bunches on Saturday, as two of the nation's 10 most prolific scoring and three-point shooting teams in the country will be taking the Tex Turner Arena floor. Lincoln Memorial is ranked second in the nation in scoring with 96.2 points per game and eighth in three-pointers made with 209, while Lenoir-Rhyne is fourth in the country in scoring with 93.4 points per game and 10th in total triples with 208.
 
Lincoln Memorial and Lenoir-Rhyne also boast the two highest scoring trios in the South Atlantic Conference. Simmons, Choice and Steele are combining for 51.9 points per game, while the Bears' three-headed monster of Palmore, Perry and Noyes has a slim edge with a combined 52.6 points per game.
 
Palmore is a walking triple-double, as the Old Dominion transfer is averaging 20.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game on 50 percent shooting. Perry is averaging 17.8 points and 2.5 assists per game on a 43.4 percent mark from deep, while Noyes is accounting for 14.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game on 69.9 percent shooting. Along with that trio, Reed Lucas is contributing 13 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting from the three and Bales is scoring 8.5 points per game.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne's one glaring weakness is the defensive end of the floor, where the Bears are serving up 85.9 points per game and allowing 47.3 percent shooting. L-R has given up 50 percent shooting six times this season. The Railsplitters are ranked third in the nation in offensive efficiency with a 51.9 percent clip.
 
With a win, Lincoln Memorial would match its 2010-11 and 2014-15 teams for the longest SAC winning streak in program history and open league play at 14-0 for the second consecutive season.
 
The Railsplitters clinched their third straight SAC regular-season championship in last season's 69-37 pummeling of Lenoir-Rhyne at Tex Turner Arena. Lincoln Memorial allowed the visiting Bears to shoot just 25 percent from the field and held L-R to the lowest point total by an LMU opponent since November, 2011. Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) scored 17 points to lead the Railsplitters to their fifth straight home win against the Bears.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Tex Turner Arena. Live stats, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.

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