HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Two of the nation's highest scoring offenses will go toe-to-toe on Saturday afternoon when the fourth-ranked Railsplitters (21-2, 17-0 SAC) welcome the red-hot Newberry Wolves (15-8, 10-7 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for a 4 p.m. tip.
 
Lincoln Memorial has hit the 100-point mark in four of its last six games and 11 times in total this season, as the Railsplitters lead the South Atlantic Conference and are ranked second in the country in scoring with 96.1 points per game. Newberry, meanwhile, has crossed the 100-point threshold five times this season and is ranked third in the nation in scoring average with 95 points per game. Both LMU and Newberry are also among the national leaders in three-pointers made per game, as the Wolves average 11 triples per game and the Railsplitters are connecting on 10.8 treys per appearances.
 
The Railsplitters pushed their winning streak to 11 games and extended the best start to SAC play in league history to 17-0 with a hard-fought 103-92 win at Tusculum on Wednesday night. Five players finished in double figures for Lincoln Memorial, led by Gerel Simmons' (Accokeek, Md.) 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) chipped in with 22 points and eight rebounds before fouling out, while Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists to help the Railsplitters defeat Tusculum for the 17th straight time.
 
Newberry is one of the hottest teams currently operating in the South Atlantic Conference, as the Wolves picked up their fourth consecutive win and sixth in the last eight games on Wednesday with a 93-81 triumph over Catawba. Newberry could easily be carrying an eight-game winning streak into Tex Turner. The Wolves' only two losses since mid-January were a 91-89 setback to Carson-Newman on a last-second three-pointer and a 92-87 loss at seventh-ranked Queens in a game where they were tied with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.
 
By this point, Newberry's unique style is no secret. The Wolves play at by far the fastest pace in the SAC, averaging 71 field-goal attempts and 31 three-point tries per game. Newberry's system thrives on creating chaos and turnovers, as the Wolves average a league-high 10.5 steals per game and lead the country in forced turnovers per game with 20.5.
 
Newberry's reliance on creating turnovers to prevent teams from scoring is reflected in the defensive numbers, though. Once teams beat the Wolves' pressure defense, they are scoring efficiently and with regularity, as Newberry is giving up a league-worst 87.3 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting. That defense has been light years better of late, though, as the Wolves have allowed 34.8, 41.0 and 41.3 percent shooting in their last three games. In fact, nine straight opponents have failed to shoot better than 40 percent from three-point range against Newberry.
 
The Wolves implement a platoon system with no single player averaging more than 22 minutes per game, which stands in stark contrast to Lincoln Memorial, whose three-headed monster of Choice, Simmons and Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) are each playing more than 29 minutes per game.
 
Newberry is led by 6-5 senior forward Xavier Holmes, who is putting up 16 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 56.4 percent shooting. Senior guard Mitch Riggs is contributing 12.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field. Brandon Taylor - a 6-6 senior forward - is piling up 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game coupled with a 41.1 percent mark from three-point range. James Stepp leads the Wolves with 48 made three-pointers this season, as he is collecting 10.3 points per game on a 35.7 percent mark from downtown.
 
The Railsplitters will be looking for their seventh straight win over the Wolves, as they won the first meeting of the season 115-94 back on December 19 in Newberry, S.C. Steele had his breakout performance of the 2015-16 campaign in that contest, scoring a career-high 40 points and knocking down a program-record 10 three-pointers as a part of Lincoln Memorial's 18-for-28 effort from three-point territory. The Railsplitters finished with the fourth-highest field-goal percentage in program history by shooting 65.7 percent from the field. Simmons added 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Seven players finished in double figures for Newberry, led by Holmes' 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
 
Lincoln Memorial is 15-6 all-time against Newberry with a 6-3 record at Tex Turner Arena. The Railsplitters won last season's home game 100-81, holding the visiting Wolves to 39.3 percent shooting and an 8-for-23 mark from three. Choice and Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) had 21 points apiece to lead the Railsplitters, while Simmons had 17 points in just 21 minutes.
 
The Railsplitters have scored at least 90 points in seven of the last eight meetings with Newberry.
 
Saturday will also serve as Lincoln Memorial's Play 4Kay game, as LMU will raise money and awareness for women's cancer research and victims. Local cancer survivors will be honored at halftime, while donations to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund will be collected throughout the afternoon.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. Live stats, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com, the comprehensive online home of Lincoln Memorial University athletics.
 
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