HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 20 Lady Railsplitter basketball team welcomes Coker to the Tex Turner Arena for a Saturday afternoon South Atlantic Conference showdown.

LMU comes into Saturday's contest having tied the best start in modern program history at 7-0 after a 73-51 win over Lenoir-Rhyne Wednesday evening. The win ties the record set by the 1991-92 squad, who began that season with a 7-0 start.

The Lady Railsplitters used a 15-0 run midway through the first quarter to take the 22-8 lead and never looked back in the win over L-R. Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) led LMU with 13 points, followed by a pair of double-doubles from Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) (12 pts-11 reb) and Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) (10 pts-10 reb). Karsen Sims (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) chipped in 10 points. The LMU defense forced 23 Bears turnovers which led to a 25 second-chance points. The Lady Railsplitters also out-rebounded the Bears by a 42-32 margin.

The 22 point margin was the largest by LMU in the series, which dates back to 2007.

Saturday's game will be video streamed live on the LMU Sports Network and LMU will also be providing live stats. Fans listening on the radio can hear play-by-play with Rusty Peace on the LMU Sports Network at 91.3 WLMU-FM and online at www.913thegap.com.
 
LINCOLN MEMORIAL VS. COKER
· This is the first meeting between the two schools this season.
· LMU was picked 5th in the pre-season coaches poll and Coker was picked ninth.
· Coker comes into the game with a 0-5 record and a 0-1 record in SAC play.
· Coker won the last meeting between the two schools in the Tex Turner Arena, a 64-61 decision on Dec. 5, 2015.
· This is the 2^nd of three SAC games over a five day period. LMU hosts Brevard on Monday in the final game of the home stand.
 
SCOUTING LMU
· The Lady Railsplitters come into the game with a 7-0 record, tying the program record for the best start (modern era) with the 1991-92 team.
· Should they win, LMU would improve to 8-0 for the first time in the modern era (1970s-present) and only the second time since the 1940-41 season (and 5th time overall).
· LMU enters the game with a program record of 827-480-1 in 75 seasons of competition.
· The win over #21 Lander was LMU's first win over a ranked opponent since they upset #20 Carson-Newman 56-54 last season.
· Senior All-SAC performer Megan Pittman is currently leading the team in scoring with 13.0 ppg. She is currently shooting 91.2% from the free throw line, which ranks her fifth in the SAC.  She is second in the SAC in total free throws, fifth in total rebounds and eighth in points and steals.
· Senior Josey Harding's currently leads the team in rebounding with 13.6 rpg. She currently ranks first in the SAC in total rebounds, rebounds per game and defensive rebounds and is third in offensive rebounds. She also ranks third in total free throws and seventh in blocks. She set a new SAC single-game rebound record with her 27 at Carson-Newman. Nationally, she ranks second in total rebounds, fifth in rebounds per game and sixth in defensive rebounds.
· Shea Coker is averaging 12.4 points a game, ranking her second on the team. The junior ranks 6^th in the SAC in field goals made, 7^th in 3-pt. percentage, 8^th in made 3-pointers and 10^th in points.
· Karsen Sims also is averaging in double figures in scoring with 10.4 points a game. She currently ranks second in the SAC in assist to turnover ratio (7.0), 3^rd in 3-pt. percentage and 5^th in assists.
· LMU is outshooting their opponents 39.7 percent to 34.5 percent this season.
· The Lady Railsplitters under Krystal Evans have become nationally known for their rebounding, and this year's team currently is out-rebounding opponents by 10.6 rebounds a game. In the Krystal Evans era, LMU has outrebounded their opponents in 55 of the 65 games played.
 
LMU IN THE RANKINGS
· The Lady Railsplitters are ranked 20^th in the latest WBCA/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
· This is the first time in program history that the LMU women have been ranked in a NCAA poll. They were a mainstay in the NAIA Top 25 in the mid-to-late 1980s.
· LMU is also ranked ninth in the Southeast Region in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll.
· This is the first time since the 1988-89 season that both LMU basketball programs are ranked at the same time. There are currently four other schools with both women's and men's programs ranked – Bellarmine, Angelo State, California Baptist and Drury.
 
RECORD WATCH
· Megan Pittman has the most career points on the team with 726. Harding has 552, Coker 472, Anderson 240 and Mathis 205.
· Pittman has 593 career rebounds, placing her at 9th all-time, she is 13 away from tying Bridget Long (1990-94)
· Harding's 27 rebounds against Carson-Newman On Nov. 22 set a new LMU and SAC record for rebounds in a game. She is also the only player in LMU history, men or women, to have consecutive 20+ rebound games.
· Harding currently has 573 rebounds and ranks 11th in career rebounds. She is 7 behind 10th place Terry Whitehead (1984-86).
· Harding is 19th all-time in made free throws (198) with Karmella Wynne (2001-04). She trails 18^th place Juanita Hall (1978-82) by two rebounds.
· Josey Harding is currently in fifth place on the all-time blocks list with 94. She has a tall order to get out of fifth as there is a tie for third with 140 blocks between Tracey Faison (1988-92) and Bridget Long (1990-94).
 
LAST TIME VS. COKER
· It took two overtimes, but LMU outscored Coker 13-6 in the final stanza to outlast Coker 77-70 on Jan. 23, 2016 in Hartsville.
· LMU had three players in double figures, led by Britney Guy's 16 points. Josey Harding had 15 points and Kortnay Cox had a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
· Jazz Green had 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cobras. Kendra Lambert also had 17 points. Morgan Williams added in 12 points and Kiara Shoats had 11.
· LMU out-rebounded the Cobras 58-40.
· LMU's bench was a big factor in the win as they outscored Coker's bench by a 28-4 margin. Offensive rebounds were also a key as LMU had 17 second chance points to 4 by Coker.
 
SERIES VS. COKER
· Coker leads the series 5-2.
· LMU holds a 1-3 record vs. Coker in the Tex Turner Arena. They are 1-2 in Hartsville.
· The only real blowout win in the series came in LMU's win in Harrogate on Dec. 6, 2014, when LMU won 69-48.
 
SCOUTING COKER
· The Cobras return seven letter winners off of last year's team.
· Kendra Lambert is the top returning scorer from last season and Terrika Foster is the top rebounder returning.
· Terrika Foster leads all Cobra scorers, averaging 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Iresha Cooper averages 9.8 points per game and leads the team in rebounds per game at 6.8.
· Of Coker's five losses, two were by five points or less, a 68-64 loss to Belmont Abbey and a 78-75 loss to UNC Pembroke.
· Coker coach Shannon Johnson enters the contest with a 9-24 career record. She is in her second season at Coker. Johnson was a standout at South Carolina and is an Olympic Gold Medalist (2004) and seven time WNBA All-Star. She also played in the ABL and internationally.
· Coker compiled a 9-19 record last season, finishing in 10^th place in the SAC.