HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The 23rd-ranked Railsplitters (8-2, 4-1 SAC) aim for their sixth straight win on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the high-scoring Newberry Wolves (6-4, 2-3 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for a South Atlantic Conference showdown beginning at 4 p.m.
 
Lincoln Memorial enters the second-to-last game of the 2016 portion of the schedule fresh off of an 84-72 victory at Wingate on Wednesday night. A 24-6 first-half run created some distance between the Railsplitters and Bulldogs and helped LMU take a 15-point lead into the break. However, Wingate fought back and closed to within six points in the second half to make things interesting before the Railsplitters ultimately prevailed.
 
Double-doubles from Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) and Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.) powered LMU to victory, as Pinson posted his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Terry had 13 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks to log his fifth double-double in nine appearances. In addition to that duo, Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) scored 19 points on six three-pointers, while Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) tallied 16 points, all in the second half.
 
Lincoln Memorial's streak of consecutive 40-point blowouts ended at four in the win at Wingate, but the Railsplitters have won all five games of their current five-game winning streak by double figures. In fact, all eight of LMU's wins this season have been by a minimum of 12 points. Only Kentucky Wesleyan and Wingate have lost to the Railsplitters by less than 20 points.
 
The Railsplitters will be looking to extend an impressive streak of dominance at Tex Turner Arena, where they have won 21 straight games since falling to Mount Olive in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Lincoln Memorial hasn't lost a regular-season game in Harrogate since February 2015, reeling off 19 consecutive victories since. The Railsplitters' last 12 games at Tex Turner have been decided by at least 10 points.
 
Newberry arrives in Harrogate following a 98-85 win over Mars Hill on Wednesday, but it's been a mixed start for the Wolves so far. Newberry is 4-1 in nonconference play with wins over Erskine, Paine, Southern Wesleyan and Warren Wilson, but just 2-3 in South Atlantic Conference play. Essentially, the Wolves have feasted on the lower half of the league with wins over Wingate and Mars Hill (a combined 2-7 in the SAC), but have struggled against the upper echelon in losses to Queens, Carson-Newman and Anderson, who are a combined 11-2 in the league.
 
The story is the same for the Wolves this season; they score points in bunches but give them up at a similar rate.
 
On offense, Newberry leads the SAC in points per game with 99.9, three-pointers made per game with 15.1 and free throws made per game with 20.2. The Wolves' 74.4 field-goal attempts per game also lead the league. They have scored at least 90 points in eight of their 10 games this season.
 
On defense, Newberry can be problematic, as the Wolves force 24.9 turnovers per game, the second-most in the nation, and also rank second in the nation with 15 steals per game. However, if the Wolves fail to force a turnover with their aggressive pressing defense, they are more than happy to trade baskets. Newberry allows a league-worst 95.1 points per game on 53.8 percent shooting. The Wolves, who have surrendered 100 points five times this season, were ranked last in the country in field-goal percentage defense according to the most recent DII statistical rankings.
 
Nine players are averaging at least eight points per game for the Wolves this season, while six are chipping in more than 10 points per. D.J. Copeland leads that group with 13.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 44.9 percent shooting. James Stepp has accounted for 13.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game with a team-best 27 three-pointers. Gerald Evans has been arguably the Wolves' most dynamic player, averaging 13.4 points per game with a team-leading 37 assists and 36 steals. Marshall Lange (12.3 points per), Rob Valentine (11.5 points per) and Mason Spease (10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds per) have also been factors for the Wolves.
 
The Railsplitters are 17-6 all-time against Newberry and have won eight straight games in the series. Newberry hasn't beaten Lincoln Memorial since February 9, 2013, when the Wolves poured in 16 three-pointers in a 113-98 win at Tex Turner Arena. The Railsplitters have scored at least 90 points in nine of their last 10 games against Newberry, including six 100-point eruptions.
 
Lincoln Memorial defeated Newberry three times during the 2015-16 campaign, winning 115-94 at Newberry, 107-97 at home and 105-81 in the semifinals of the SAC Championship.
 
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and Newberry is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 17. Live stats, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
 
Five things to watch for against Newberry
1. Choice hit six more three-pointers against Wingate on Wednesday to bring his season total to 41, which leads the SAC. The Laurens, S.C. native needs 13 more to match Carson-Newman's Ish Sanders for the South Atlantic Conference career record of 340.
 
2. The Railsplitters' average margin of victory during their eight-game winning streak against Newberry is 17 points. Lincoln Memorial hasn't shot below 45 percent against the Wolves since February 12, 2011. Over the 12 games since then, LMU has shot over 55 percent six times. Two of LMU's 12-best shooting performances in program history have come at the expense of Newberry - 65.7 percent on December 19, 2015 and 62.9 percent on December 15, 2013.
 
3. Overall, Newberry isn't a great rebounding team with a -2.7 margin on the glass, but the Wolves are ranked second in the league in offensive rebounds per game with 15.3. Musah Sackor leads the Wolves with 2.2 offensive boards per game.
 
4. The Railsplitters lead the SAC in field-goal percentage offense with a 53.4 percent clip. Lincoln Memorial has shot at least 49 percent in six consecutive games.
 
5. In last season's 107-97 win over Newberry, the Railsplitters went 18-for-40 from three-point range and built a 54-33 halftime lead. However, Newberry scored 64 points in the second half and went 14-for-23 from the arc to make things interesting. Choice had 32 points with 10 three-pointers to lead the Railsplitters.