HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The 23rd-ranked Railsplitters (5-2, 1-1 SAC) host the second leg of a three-game homestand on Saturday at 4 p.m. when they welcome the Coker Cobras (4-2, 1-0 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for a South Atlantic Conference showdown.
 
Lincoln Memorial is coming off of its most complete performance of the 2016-17 season in a 41-point thrashing of the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears in the home opener on Wednesday night.
 
In that 91-50 win, the Railsplitters were efficient on offense, shooting 50 percent from the field while posting 18 assists with just five turnovers. The Railsplitters were also locked in defensively, holding the Bears to 33.9 percent shooting and allowing just 20 second-half points in what head coach Josh Schertz called the best half that Lincoln Memorial has played this season.
 
That 41-point victory was LMU's largest point spread against a SAC opponent since dropping Saturday's opponent, the Coker Cobras, by 49 points on January 23, 2016 in Hartsville, S.C. The Railsplitters also beat Wingate by 46 points in December 2015.
 
Redshirt-senior Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) dazzled yet again for the Railsplitters by pouring in a season-high 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting and a 7-for-12 mark from three-point range. With that, Choice has now led Lincoln Memorial in scoring in four of its seven games this season, which includes a 28-point outburst against Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
The Railsplitters continue to light up the scoreboard as they have tallied at least 90 points in five of their seven games. Lincoln Memorial is ranked second in the SAC in scoring with 92.3 points per game, and that is in spite of a 67-point showing against Alabama-Huntsville.
 
There's still room to improve for the Railsplitters on the offensive end, though, particularly if the free throws start falling. Lincoln Memorial is ranked 10th in the 12-team SAC in free throws made per game with 12.7 and free-throw percentage with a 64 percent clip.
 
After allowing UAH to shoot 55 percent and Carson-Newman to hit 49.4 percent of its shots, the Railsplitters seem to have righted the ship defensively. Lincoln Memorial held Virginia-Wise to 28.1 percent shooting before limiting Lenoir-Rhyne to 29.2 percent shooting in the second half. The Railsplitters are now ranked first in the league in field-goal percentage defense by holding opponents to 40.1 percent shooting.
 
The Railsplitters will be looking to win their 20th straight game at Tex Turner Arena and 15th straight regular-season SAC game at home on Saturday when they tangle with the Coker Cobras, who have never beaten Lincoln Memorial since the series began in 2014.
 
Coker is off to a stellar start to the 2016-17 campaign, though, as the Cobras are riding a three-game winning streak that includes an 88-84 win over Southern Wesleyan, an 85-82 victory over Paine and a 94-86 triumph over Catawba in the SAC opener.
 
A lot has changed for the Cobras, too, as they are under new leadership for the first time in 30 seasons after long-tenured coach Dan Schmotzer announced his retirement as the end of the 2015-16 season. Aric Samuel, who was the Cobras' assistant coach for the past three seasons, was promoted to the head position.
 
Under that new direction, the Cobras are a fast-paced team that leads the SAC in field-goal attempts per game with nearly 70 shot attempts on average. However, Coker is shooting just 42.8 percent from the floor, 30 percent from three and turning the ball over an average of 19.8 times per game. The Cobras are scoring 82.3 points per game, which is the seventh-best mark in the league.
 
The Cobras are a gritty bunch, though, ranking second in the SAC in rebounds per game while pulling in a league-leading 16.8 offensive boards per. That hasn't necessarily translated to strong defensive performances, as Coker is allowing opponents to shoot 45.7 percent despite the fact that they lead the league in opponent three-point percentage with a 26 percent mark.
 
Coker is balanced on the offensive end with four players averaging at least 11 points per game. JaQuez Motley leads that quartet with 13.8 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting, while Jake Barrett is contributing 12 points and 4.8 rebounds per night on 43.3 percent shooting. Roman Hall is chipping in 11.5 points on 52 percent shooting, Miguel Priest is pitching in 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and Nathan Lemke is posting 5.8 points and 7.3 boards per.
 
The Cobras have been a second-half team this season as they have outscored their opponent in the second half in all six games. That includes a 49-34 showing against Southern Wesleyan, as the Cobras rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit.
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday inside of Tex Turner Arena. Live stats, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
 
Five things to watch for against Coker
1. Choice leads the SAC in three-pointers made and is ranked fourth in three-point field-goal percentage with a 30-for-55 clip (54.5 percent). Choice has buried 316 career threes, which is 24 shy of matching Carson-Newman's Ish Sanders for the SAC record.
 
2. Five players are currently averaging at least 10 points per game for the Railsplitters. Six of LMU's top-seven scorers are shooting better than 50 percent for the season, which is why the Railsplitters lead the SAC in field-goal percentage as a team with a 52.7 percent clip.
 
3. The Railsplitters have never lost to Coker since the Cobras joined the SAC prior to the 2014-15 season. Lincoln Memorial defeated Coker 72-58 in last season's meeting in Tex Turner Arena. Choice had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists in that contest, while Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.) contributed eight points and 13 rebounds.
 
4. Coker thrives on creating turnovers. The Cobras are ranked third in the nation in turnovers forced per game with 21.5. Coker has mustered 11.2 steals per game, a figure led by Priest's two steals per game.
 
5. Like Lincoln Memorial, Coker is also a sub-par free-throw shooting team. The Cobras enter Saturday's contest ranked 301st out of 307 NCAA Division II teams in free-throw percentage with a 59.2 percent clip.