JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The No. 2 Railsplitters (3-1) will try to bounce back from their worst lost since 2008 on Tuesday night when they invade Holt Fieldhouse to face the undefeated Carson-Newman Eagles (3-0) in the South Atlantic Conference opener at 8 p.m. in Jefferson City, Tenn.
 
Lincoln Memorial experienced a mixed bag of results this past weekend in the inaugural Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, which was hosted by the University of Southern Indiana inside of the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
 
The Railsplitters kicked off that event with an 88-72 win over Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday night. Lincoln Memorial got off to a slow start in that one and trailed 35-33 at the half, but the Railsplitters outscored the Panthers 46-23 over the final 15 minutes, which included a 19-2 run as well as a late 12-0 spurt. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) powered LMU with a season-high 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting from three and overtook Nick Sanford for the program's career record for three-pointers made.
 
However, nothing much went right for the Railsplitters on Saturday against No. 5 Alabama-Huntsville, as the Chargers handed Lincoln Memorial its worst loss since February 2, 2008 (a 29-point loss to Wingate) with a 91-67 victory.
 
In that contest, UAH shot 55 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free-throw line, while the Railsplitters were limited to a 40 percent clip, a 4-for-18 effort from three and a 7-for-18 mark at the charity stripe. In addition to that, Lincoln Memorial was outrebounded 47-31, which was the worst rebounding performance by an LMU squad since Carson-Newman accounted for a 51-31 rebounding edge in the 2015 SAC Championship title game.
 
With only two days to pick up the pieces from that loss, Lincoln Memorial now directs its attention to the SAC opener and arch-rival Carson-Newman, who is off to a perfect 3-0 start.
 
The Eagles opened the season with a convincing 106-83 win over Southern Wesleyan and followed that up with an 88-75 win over Lander, the defending Peach Belt Conference tournament champions. Carson-Newman was most recently in action on November 16, when the Eagles erased a 12-point deficit with seven minutes to play to defeat Virginia-Wise 96-91 in overtime at Holt Fieldhouse.
 
Carson-Newman has been led this season by the dynamic duo of Charles Clark and Sawyer Williams. Clark – a junior point guard – is averaging 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three. Williams, a 6-8 senior forward, has accounted for 15 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting a sizzling 65.5 percent from the floor.
 
The Eagles, who are currently ranked second in the SAC in scoring with 96.7 points per game while shooting 54.5 percent as a team and 49.3 percent from three, surround those two preseason All-SAC selections with three other players averaging at least 10 points per game.
 
Malik Abraham – a 6-3 transfer from Florida State College at Jacksonville – is pouring in 14.3 points per game on 10-for-19 shooting from three. Shaun Jones is averaging a near double-double with 12.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on 66.7 percent shooting. Zack Pangallo is figuring into the equation with 10.3 points and 3.3 assists per game on a 7-for-10 mark from deep.
 
The Railsplitters have won five of the last six South Atlantic Conference regular-season titles, including a SAC-record four consecutive SAC championships. Over the past three seasons, Lincoln Memorial is a combined 63-3 in league play, which includes a perfect 22-0 mark during the 2015-16 campaign.
 
The Railsplitters have won 29 consecutive regular-season SAC games and 24 straight road games in league play. However, in a strange twist of fate, Carson-Newman is responsible for LMU's last regular-season SAC loss, SAC road loss and SAC tournament loss. Lincoln Memorial last suffered a regular-season conference loss on February 4, 2015, when the Eagles handed the Railsplitters an 87-72 loss at Tex Turner Arena. Holt Fieldhouse was the site of the Railsplitters' last SAC road loss on February 5, 2014.
 
Tuesday marks the 202nd all-time meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman dating back to 1923. After sweeping the regular-season series last season, the Railsplitters lead the series by the slimmest of margins, 101-100. However, Lincoln Memorial has had its fair share of difficulties in Jefferson City, where Carson-Newman has compiled a 57-40 record against the Railsplitters and won two of the last three meetings.
 
In last season's clash in Holt Fieldhouse, the Railsplitters escaped Jefferson City with a 100-89 victory. Choice carried LMU to victory by scoring a career-high 38 points while going 10-for-17 from three-point range. Clark was magnificent for Carson-Newman in that contest, scoring 36 points on 13-for-19 shooting. Williams had 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
 
Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman are set to tip off at 8 p.m. inside of Holt Fieldhouse. That contest will be broadcast live on MyVLT while live stats and video links will also be available at www.LMURailsplitters.com. Fans can also follow updates of the game on the official LMU athletics Twitter account (@LMURailsplitter).
 
Five Things to watch against Carson-Newman:
 
1. The Railsplitters are looking to avoid dropping two straight games for the first time since losing in succession to Anderson and Carson-Newman in February of 2012. Excluding season-ending losses, Lincoln Memorial is 13-0 after a loss since that time.
 
2. Charles Clark has been a thorn in the Railsplitters' side since making his debut for the Eagles. In his first appearance against LMU on February 4, 2015, Clark piled up 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting. In the title game of the SAC Championship later that season, he put up 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He had 36 points in last season's match-up in Holt Fieldhouse.
 
3. Rebounding will be central to the outcome of Tuesday night's game. So far this season, the Railsplitters have struggled on the boards, as opponents are currently outrebounding Lincoln Memorial 38.5-38.2. The Railsplitters have also allowed 47 offensive boards, including a season-worst 16 against Kentucky Wesleyan. The Eagles are leading the SAC in rebounding margin with a plus 6.0 edge on the backboards.
 
4. Redshirt-freshman Cornelius Taylor (Claxton, Ga.) has scored double figures in three of his first four career appearances, including a career-high 14 points against Alabama-Huntsville. Taylor is averaging 11.5 points and 1.5 assists per game on 47.4 percent shooting so far this season.
 
5. Carson-Newman has been solid on the defensive end, allowing opponents to shoot just 43.9 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three. However, Virginia-Wise exposed the Eagles a bit on that end of the floor, shooting 50 percent for the game, including a 55.6 percent mark in the second half.