HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (14-9, 11-7 SAC) look to bounce back from yet another heartbreaking loss when they welcome the surprising Mars Hill Lions (13-10, 12-6 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena on Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. South Atlantic Conference showdown.
 
Lincoln Memorial suffered its second overtime loss in two weeks and third of the season on Saturday afternoon, when the Newberry Wolves rallied from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit before eventually defeating the Lady Railsplitters 80-71 in a battle of second-place teams. Newberry shot just 33 percent from the field in that contest and went 5-for-18 from three-point territory, but a huge disparity at the free-throw line ultimately made the difference. The Wolves made 31 free throws on 37 attempts, while the Lady Railsplitters attempted just 16 free throws and made 11.
 
In spite of the loss, Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) was outstanding once again for the Lady Railsplitters, posting her 11th double-double of the season and third in the last four games by scoring 15 points and snatching 12 rebounds. Pittman, who was selected as the AstroTurf SAC Player of the Week after averaging 18.5 points and 14 rebounds per game last week, is ranked 28th in the nation and second in the SAC in double-doubles. She leads the SAC with 10.3 rebounds per game. 
 
Mars Hill, who started the season with a 3-7 record, won for the 10th time in the last 13 games on Saturday, defeating the lowly Queens Royals 72-58 to move into a tie for second place in the SAC standings. Despite their place near the top of the SAC, the Lions haven't been blowing teams out, as they are ranked seventh in the league in scoring margin with an average margin of victory of jut 0.8. Mars Hill has also had relatively good luck in toss-up games, winning four straight contests that have been decided by fewer than five points.
 
The Lions don't do anything that jumps off the page. Offensively, Mars Hill scores 69 points per game, shoots 42.5 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point territory while making a mere 3.9 three-pointers per game. Defensively, the Lions give up 68 points per game, 40 percent shooting and a 31 percent clip from the three. There are two areas of particular strength for the Lions, though, as they lead the SAC in free throws made (382) and free throws attempted (546) while also ranking among the national leaders in blocked shots per game with 4.9.
 
Mars Hill is led by the dynamic duo of Ansley Ricker and Cadence Wilmoth. Ricker is the third-leading scorer in the SAC with 15.7 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting coupled with 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Wilmoth is putting up 14.1 points per game, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per. Along with that pair, Paige Chavis is scoring 11.3 points per game, while Kelsey Espinosa is averaging a near double-double with 11 points and 7.2 rebounds per game on 52.8 percent shooting.
 
The Lady Railsplitters lost the first meeting between the two teams this season 72-60 back on January 6 in Mars Hill, N.C. Lincoln Memorial was limited to 30.8 percent shooting in that contest with a dreadful 4-for-17 clip from three-point range. Despite those offensive struggles, the Lady Railsplitters led by seven points midway through the third quarter. However, Mars Hill outscored LMU 43-24 over the game's final 16 minutes to seal the victory. Pittman paced the Lady Railsplitters with 15 points and 11 boards, while Britney Guy (Locust Grove, Ga.) and Kortnay Cox (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) scored 11 and 10, respectively, off of the bench. Wilmoth posted a triple-double - one of 10 to occur in the nation this season - for Mars Hill with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks, while Espinosa scored a game-high 18 points.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are 13-11 all-time against Mars Hill, but have lost three of the last four in the series. Lincoln Memorial did, however, defeat the Lions 100-90 in last season's meeting at Tex Turner, breaking the 100-point barrier for the first time since the 2010-11 season opener, a 100-77 win over Southern Arkansas. Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) powered that victory with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) had 15 points and five assists.
 
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and Mars Hill is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Live stats, video and audio links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
 
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