HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The fourth-ranked Railsplitters (22-2, 18-0 SAC) look to surpass the 100-point threshold for the fourth straight game and replicate their offensive performance from the first meeting against Mars Hill when the Lions (9-15, 5-13 SAC) invade Tex Turner Arena for a South Atlantic Conference battle on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
 
Lincoln Memorial has won 13 straight games against the Lions and 29 of the 38 all-time meetings. Eight of the last nine games in the series have been decided by at least 20 points, including the Railsplitters' 120-84 win in Mars Hill back on January 6.
 
The Railsplitters led that contest by a mere eight points at the half, but outscored the Lions 65-37 in the second half to fuel the 36-point triumph. Lincoln Memorial finished with the second-best field-goal percentage in program history by connecting on 67.7 percent of its shots and going an absurd 17-for-26 from three-point range, cresting the 120-point plateau for just the 20th time ever. Gerel Simmons (Accokeek, Md.) - the reigning SAC Player of the Week - led that effort with 31 points, while Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.), who was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List on Monday, scored 20 points.
 
The Railsplitters are coming off of a gutsy 107-97 win over the hot-shooting Newberry Wolves on Saturday, which pushed their overall winning streak to 12 games and their SAC winning streak to 18. Lincoln Memorial led that contest by 21 points at the half, but had to absorb a 64-point second-half outburst by the Wolves that was powered by an 11-for-15 effort from three-point range. Behind 32 points apiece from Simmons and Choice, and 18 total three-pointers, the Railsplitters bent but never broke, notching their 25th straight SAC regular-season win since last season.
 
Remarkable three-point shooting has been the Railsplitters' calling card this season. Lincoln Memorial is currently ranked second in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage with a 44.2 percent clip while boasting the nation's ninth-most made three-pointers with 268. With four games remaining in the regular season, the SAC Tournament and an all but certain berth to the NCAA Tournament still looming on the horizon, the Railsplitters have already broken the program's single-season record for three-pointers previously held by the 2001-02 team (249).
 
Both Choice and Jalen Steele (Knoxville, Tenn.) are in position to potentially make 100 three-pointers this season. Choice has the fourth-most three-pointers in the country with 86, while Steele is 28th in that department with 74. The program record is 100, which was set by Choice last season. Including Choice, only three players in South Atlantic Conference history have hit 100 three-pointers.   
 
Mars Hill has lost five straight games since opening February with a win and none of those losses have been particularly close. The Lions lost by 16 at home to Carson-Newman, by 24 at Newberry, by 31 at Wingate and most recently suffered a 29-point beatdown by nationally-ranked Queens. The only close call over the skid was an 86-81 loss at home to last-place Brevard.
 
Defense has been at the center of the Lions' struggles this season, as Mars Hill is among the worst in the country on that end of the floor, ranking 288th out of 301 NCAA Division II teams in field-goal percentage defense by allowing 49.3 percent shooting. The Lions have given up at least 50 percent shooting in seven straight games and are serving up 87.2 points per game, which is the second-worst mark in the SAC.
 
Four different players are averaging at least 10 points per game for the Lions. Justin Yeargin is the do-everything guy for Mars Hill, piling up 16.2 points, 4.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. Patrick Monroe is accounting for 12.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on 42.7 percent shooting, while Tyree Griffin is scoring 11 points and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game with a 62.9 percent mark from the field. Michael Carson is contributing 10.6 points per game.
 
The Lions average 83.3 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting, ranking fifth in the SAC in scoring and ninth in field-goal percentage. Mars Hill hoists up nearly 28 three-pointers per game and makes 39 percent of those attempts, which is the third-best mark in the SAC.
 
Lincoln Memorial hasn't lost to Mars Hill since the Lions pulled off a 96-92 overtime victory at Tex Turner in January, 2010. LMU's 12-game winning streak is the fourth-longest on-going winning streak in the nation, while the Railsplitters' 18-game winning streak in SAC play is the longest conference winning streak in the country.
 
The Railsplitters defeated the Lions 79-67 in last season's meeting at Tex Turner Arena. Choice hit four three-pointers and had 18 points, while Simmons scored 10 points in 17 minutes off of the bench.
 
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Harrogate. Live stats, video and audio links are available atwww.LMURailsplitters.com, the comprehensive online home of Lincoln Memorial University athletics.
 
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