MARS HILL, N.C. -- Junior forward Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) logged her third consecutive double-double, but the Mars Hill Lions (4-8, 3-4 SAC) knocked down 30 free throws to fuel a 72-60 win over the Lady Railsplitters (7-5, 4-3 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference women's hoops action on Wednesday night at Stanford Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial returned to the court for the first time in 18 days and showed some major signs of rust, shooting 30.8 percent (24-for-78) from the field, including a 4-for-17 mark (23.5 percent) from three-point range. Exactly a third of the Lady Railsplitters' points were earned off of second-chance opportunities, as LMU corralled 23 offensive boards to account for 20 points.
 
The biggest difference in the game came at the free-throw line, though, as the Lady Railsplitters were called for 29 personal fouls, which led to 35 free-throw attempts for the Lions. Mars Hill - who was whistled for just 12 fouls - went 30-for-35 at the charity stripe, as opposed to Lincoln Memorial's 8-for-10 effort.
 
Pittman led the Lady Railsplitters with 15 points and 11 rebounds, collecting her fourth double-double in the last five games. Britney Guy (Locust Grove, Ga.) scored 11 points and dished out six assists in 33 minutes off of the bench, while Kortnay Cox (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) added 10 points and nine boards in 29 minutes.
 
After an ice-cold start, the Lady Railsplitters found themselves facing a 10-4 deficit following a pair of Kelsey Espinosa free throws with 2:41 left in the first quarter. However, a 7-0 run capped with a jumper by Guy at the 40-second mark put Lincoln Memorial in front 11-10. The Lions would carry a 12-11 advantage into the second period, though, as Ansley Ricker converted a pair of free throws before the first quarter came to a close.
 
Mars Hill extended its lead to 18-14 on a basket by Cadence Wilmoth with 7:47 left in the half, but the Lady Railsplitters ripped off another 7-0 spurt to take a 21-18 lead on a bucket from Lakeisha Beasley (College Park, Ga.) at the 6:18 mark. Back-to-back jumpers from Cox helped the Lady Railsplitters push out to a 25-19 lead, but the Lions fought back to tie it at 25 apiece on a jumper from Espinosa with 1:57 left in the half. After a back-and-forth stretch, a layup by Guy sent LMU into the break with a 29-27 lead.
 
A quick flurry helped the Lady Railsplitters jump out to a 36-29 lead early in the third period, but Mars Hill would go on a 12-2 run over the middle passage of the quarter to take a 41-38 lead on three straight free throws by Genice Lane. The Lady Railsplitters retook the lead at 42-41 on a Pittman jumper with 53 seconds left in the third, however, Ricker drained a late three-pointer to send Mars Hill into the final quarter with a 46-44 cushion.
 
Ross Mathis (Greer, S.C.) connected on a three-pointer to give the Lady Railsplitters a 53-51 lead with 6:46 left in regulation. But the next three minutes would belong to the Lions, as Mars Hill went on a 9-0 run to take a 60-53 lead with four minutes to play. The Lady Railsplitters pulled to within five at 62-57 on a basket by Pittman with 2:30 to go, but a 5-0 Mars Hill run increased the deficit to 10 points and essentially iced the game.
 
Espinosa led the Lions with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists, while Ricker had 17 points with a 7-for-7 mark at the charity stripe. Wilmoth recorded a monster triple-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks while playing all 40 minutes for the Lions. Lane added 11 points and four boards.
 
Quick Hits
The Lady Railsplitters saw their five-game road winning streak snapped and fell to 13-11 all-time against Mars Hill, who defeated Lincoln Memorial at Stanford Arena for the second year in a row...LMU outrebounded the Lions 47-37 and accounted for a 20-2 advantage on second-chance points...The game featured eight ties and 14 lead changes...Mars Hill only played seven players in the game, as LMU's bench outscored Mars Hill's second unit 36-3
 
Up Next
The Lady Railsplitters return to Tex Turner Arena on Saturday, January 9 to face the Queens Royals for a 2 p.m. tip. Queens is currently winless in SAC play with an eight-game losing streak still intact. Mars Hill heads to Coker for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday.