HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 4 Railsplitters (6-0, 1-0 SAC) aim to eliminate the lulls that have plagued them and push their season-opening winning streak to seven games on Saturday afternoon when the Catawba Indians (2-3, 0-1 SAC) come to town for a South Atlantic Conference showdown set for a 4 p.m. tip off inside of Tex Turner Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial opened SAC play on Wednesday night with a 91-73 wire-to-wire win over the Tusculum Pioneers, extending its winning streak in the series to 22 games in the process. The Railsplitters absolutely dominated every phase of the first half, took a 53-22 advantage into the break, and grew the lead to as many as 34 points in the second stanza. However, the Pioneers fought back and outscored the Railsplitters by 13 points over the last 20 minutes to cut the final deficit to 18 points, the lowest margin of victory for LMU this season.
 
The Railsplitters allowed 51 second-half points to Tusculum, their most surrendered in a half since Pfeiffer put up 52 in the second half of the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. It was another lull for a Lincoln Memorial team that has been prone to in-game lapses early in the season.
 
In the third game of the season, Lincoln Memorial let winless Shorter rally from an early deficit to take a 45-44 lead early in the second half before overpowering the Hawks for an 88-64 victory. Against Virginia-Wise, the Railsplitters trailed 28-20 in a game they eventually won by 31 points.
 
Still, there have been far more peaks than valleys for the Railsplitters this season. Led by brilliant starts from Emanuel Terry (20.7) and Trevon Shaw (20.2), who rank third and fourth in the SAC in points per game, Lincoln Memorial is leading the league in scoring with 94.5 points per game while ranking second in points per game allowed with 69.5. The Railsplitters are also shooting 54 percent from the floor, dishing out almost 20 assists per game while turning it over just 12.2 times per game and holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting.
 
It has become evident that the Railsplitters are among the nation's elite when they are locked in. Lincoln Memorial will try to minimize the valleys and sustain its focus and attention to detail for 40 full minutes in Saturday's clash against Catawba.
 
The Indians were picked fourth in the SAC preseason coaches poll after going 18-11 overall and 12-10 in conference play last season, but have struggled so far this season. Catawba suffered a two-point loss to Francis Marion in the season opener before being torched by 24 points against UNC Pembroke. After stringing together back-to-back wins over Albany State and Winston-Salem, the Indians were handed another lopsided loss on Wednesday with an 83-65 setback at Queens in the SAC opener to fall to 2-3 on the season.  
 
A big reason for Catawba's slow start can be attributed to the absence of All-SAC first team selection Jameel Taylor, who has been out of the lineup while recovering from an injury. The senior guard could very well return to action against Lincoln Memorial after tallying 16 points against Francis Marion in the season opener in his one and only appearance of the season.
 
Preseason All-SAC second team pick Jerrin Morrison – another senior guard – has picked up the slack while his running mate heals. Morrison leads the SAC in scoring with 23 points per game on 51 percent shooting. He has also poured in 48 percent of his three-point attempts and snagged 7.4 rebounds per game. The 6-4 sharpshooter scored a season-high 38 points in the win over Winston-Salem.  
 
Behind Morrison, sophomore forward Malik Constantine is averaging 14.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent from the floor. Jeremy McLaughlin – a 6-7 forward – is chipping in 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
 
Even with Morrison and Constantine playing at an All-SAC level, the Indians have struggled on offense and defense without Taylor. Catawba is eighth in the conference in points per game with 72.4 and points per game allowed with 77.4. Opponents are shooting right at 42 percent against the Indians.
 
Lincoln Memorial has won nine consecutive games against Catawba and 13 of the last 14 overall. The Railsplitters have never lost to the Indians at Tex Turner Arena under head coach Josh Schertz, winning nine straight home games dating back to January 2009.
 
The Railsplitters swept the regular-season series during the 2016-17 campaign with relative ease, winning 101-80 at Tex Turner and 92-81 at Catawba. LMU is 19-11 against the Indians in the all-time series.
 
Tip off between Lincoln Memorial and Catawba is set for approximately 4 p.m. at Tex Turner Arena. Live stats and video links are available at www.lmurailsplitters.com. Fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Railsplitters are trying to start 7-0 for the fourth time this decade. Lincoln Memorial also accomplished that feat during the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2014-15 campaigns.
 
- Lincoln Memorial had trouble containing Morrison and Taylor last season. Morrison scored 23 points in both meetings against the Railsplitters and finished a combined 18-for-32 from the field. Taylor was limited to just six points in the first matchup last season but rebounded with a 24-point, 7-rebound outburst in the second meeting.
 
- Catawba leads the league in blocks per game with 4.0. Morrison is tops for the Indians in that department with 1.2.
 
- The Indians are last in the SAC in three-pointers made per game (6.0) and three-pointers attempts per game (17.6). Catawba's 34.1 percent mark from deep is ranked eighth in the league.
 
- The 2017 Lincoln Memorial University baseball team will be honored at halftime of the game. The Railsplitters won the second-most games in program history with 35 victories and also captured the second SAC title in program history.