WINGATE, N.C. -- After an eight-day layoff, the 23rd-ranked Railsplitters (7-2, 3-1 SAC) are back in action on Wednesday night when they take on the Wingate Bulldogs (3-6, 1-3 SAC) in a rematch of the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Championship title game at 8 p.m. in Wingate, N.C.
 
Lincoln Memorial is returning to the court for the first time since blasting Brevard 100-50 last Monday at Tex Turner Arena. The final stats were indicative of a 50-point blowout, as the Railsplitters shot 51.4 percent from the floor, hit 12 three-pointers and outrebounded the undersized Tornados 52-30. In addition to that, Brevard shot just 27.1 percent in the contest and scored a mere 17 points in the first half, the fewest in a half by an LMU opponent since February 2015.
 
The Railsplitters dusted the Tornados despite being without starting power forward Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.), who is expected to rejoin the fray on Wednesday. Thirteen players scored at least two points in the Railsplitters' win over Brevard, led by Chris Perry's (Bartow, Fla.) season-high 27 points on 12-for-16 shooting in just 22 minutes of work. Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) added 13 points while Cornelius Taylor (Claxton, Ga.) dropped in 12.
 
Lincoln Memorial enters Wednesday's contest having won four consecutive games by at least 41 points, a program record that began on November 26 with a 105-62 win at Virginia-Wise. Thanks to that streak of blowout wins, the Railsplitters are ranked fourth in the nation in scoring margin with an average margin of victory of 23.9 points per game.
 
With a scoring margin that large, it's evident that the Railsplitters are getting it done on both sides of the floor, and the national statistical rankings indicate just that. Through the first nine games of the season, the Railsplitters are ranked second in the country in field-goal percentage with a 53.8 percent mark. On the defensive end, Lincoln Memorial is allowing 37.5 percent shooting, the sixth-lowest mark in Division II. That is due is largest part to solid rim protection; the Railsplitters are ranked third in the nation with 6.7 blocks per game.
 
Six players are averaging at least nine points per game for Lincoln Memorial, who is putting up the seventh-most points per game in the country with 95.7. By comparison, last season's high-octane offense that played in the National Championship game averaged just a hair over that mark with 96.2 points per game. In his nine-season tenure with the Railsplitters, head coach Josh Schertz has never had at least six players average nine points or more for an entire season.
 
After posting a 23-10 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, Wingate was picked second in the SAC preseason coaches poll. That was warranted considering that the Bulldogs returned eight of their top-nine scorers off of last season's team, but the 2016-17 season is off to a rocky start for Wingate, who is 3-6 overall and 1-3 in SAC play.
 
That record is a little misleading, though, as the Bulldogs have lost only one game by more than four points, a 91-63 throttling by UNC Pembroke. Other than that, Wingate suffered an 80-77 loss to Belmont Abbey, an 88-85 loss at Tusculum, a 76-72 setback at Augusta, a 101-98 loss at Newberry and a head-scratching 90-88 loss at Mars Hill.
 
Like the Railsplitters, the Bulldogs haven't played since December 5, when they snapped a three-game losing skid with a 68-64 win over Lander.
 
One explanation for the Bulldogs' slow start is the absence of preseason All-SAC first team forward Isiah Cureton. Cureton played in Wingate's first two games and put up 15 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, but has not played since November 12. Cureton led the Bulldogs in scoring last season with 14.4 points per game.
 
Another explanation is that Wingate simply hasn't been great on either side of the ball. On offense, the Bulldogs are scoring 80.2 points per game - eighth in the SAC - on 46 percent shooting. Wingate is ninth in the 12-team SAC in three-point percentage with a 33 percent clip. On defense, the Bulldogs are surrendering 82.3 points per game on a 43.6 percent mark. Opponents are shooting 41.4 percent from three against the Bulldogs, which is the worst mark in the league.
 
In Cureton's absence, the Bulldogs have been led by a quartet of players averaging at least 10 points per game. Junior Zeriq Lolar leads that group with 14 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 43.4 percent shooting, while senior Josh Dominguez is averaging 13.8 points and 4.7 boards per game on 54.4 percent shooting. Sophomore Mike Baez has accounted for 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 41.4 percent shooting. Finally, senior Keith Griffin is putting up 12.3 points per game while leading the team in rebounding (8.0) and blocks (2.1).
 
The Railsplitters are 18-9 all-time against Wingate and have won eight straight games in the series dating back to their last loss on March 10, 2013 in the title game of the SAC Championship. Only two games during that eight-game winning streak have been closely contested: a 78-72 win in the SAC Championship in 2014 and a 76-70 win in February 2015.
 
The last three games in the series have been completely one-sided affairs. The Railsplitters won by 46 points in last season's meeting at Tex Turner and followed that up with a 33-point win in Wingate. Lincoln Memorial defeated the Bulldogs by 12 points in the 2016 SAC Championship title game.
 
In last season's 107-74 win at Wingate, the Railsplitters built a 20-point halftime lead and only built upon that in the second half. Lincoln Memorial shot 52.8 percent from the field, made 18 three-pointers and held the Bulldogs to 37.1 percent shooting to improve to 6-5 all-time at Cuddy Arena.
 
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and Wingate is set for 8 p.m. in Wingate, N.C. The game will be streamed on WatchESPN while live stats will also be available. Those links are accessible at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
 
Five things to watch for against Wingate:
1. Terry and Perry have shot the rock at an extraordinary rate this season. Terry is ranked 12th nationally and second in the SAC in field-goal percentage with a 66.7 percent mark, while Perry is third in the league and 22nd in the nation with a 64.3 percent clip.
 
2. Choice continues to close in on the SAC's career three-point record. The Laurens, S.C. native has hit 35 three-pointers this season, which leads the league and ranks 13th nationally. He now has 321 for his career, 19 shy of matching Carson-Newman's Ish Sanders for the all-time record.
 
3. Wingate is a solid rebounding team as the Bulldogs scoop up 29.1 defensive boards and 11.5 offensive boards per game. Wingate is fourth in the SAC with a plus 4.0 margin on the glass this season.
 
4. The Railsplitters have won six straight games at Wingate dating back to December 2010. Lincoln Memorial last lost inside of Cuddy Arena on January 2, 2010.  That was also the Railsplitters' last regular-season loss against the Bulldogs.
 
5. Wingate isn't an aggressive defensive team as the Bulldogs are ranked 279th in the nation in turnovers forced with 11.22 per game. The Bulldogs are 275th in the country in turnover margin as they averaged 14.7 turnovers per game themselves.