HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 4 Railsplitters (8-0, 2-0 SAC) begin a stretch with four games in eight days on Monday evening when they tangle with the Mars Hill Lions (2-6, 0-2 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference action at Tex Turner Arena at 8 p.m.
 
Lincoln Memorial's high-powered offense continued to pour in points at a prolific pace last Wednesday, when the Railsplitters recorded their third and fourth 50-point halves of the season in a 108-61 blowout of Bluefield College. The team combined for a season-high 18 three-pointers on 38 attempts and finished shooting 57 percent from the floor in its fourth win by a minimum of 30 points this season.
 
Starting in place of banged up star center Emanuel Terry, Kamaran Calhoun led the Railsplitters with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, falling just two points shy of a new career high. Freshman TJ Harvin poured in a career-high 15 points with five three-pointers in 16 minutes off the bench to help Lincoln Memorial's second unit accumulate 47 points in the contest. Josh Odem also posted a new season-high mark with 15 points and eight rebounds.
 
After Wednesday's performance, the Railsplitters have scored at least 90 points in six of their eight outings this season while reaching the 100-point mark in three of the last four games. By any statistical measure, Lincoln Memorial has boasted one of the most productive and efficient offenses in the nation, ranking second in the country in scoring margin, fourth in scoring offense, sixth in three-point field goals per game, second in field-goal percentage offense and seventh in assists per game and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Monday's matchup against Mars Hill has the potential to see the Railsplitters continue that early-season trend as the Lions are ranked 287th out of 301 NCAA Division II teams in scoring defense by allowing 87.7 points per game. In addition to that, opponents are shooting a sizzling 47.6 percent against the vulnerable Mars Hill defense, including a 36.7 percent clip from three-point range.
 
Mars Hill, who was scheduled to face Newberry on Saturday before inclement weather postponed that SAC tilt, has struggled mightily through its first two conference matchups, taking a 92-64 beating at Carson-Newman and a 74-52 loss at Wingate.
 
The Lions did, however, snap their four-game losing streak in their most recent outing, a 101-92 victory at Warren Wilson last Tuesday. In that contest, Mars Hill shot a season-high 58 percent to record its highest point total of the season. The team's previous high was 92 points in a 14-point loss at Limestone.
 
Though it has not been enough to offset a shaky defense, the Lions have been relatively solid on the offensive end, ranking fourth in the SAC in field-goal percentage with a 48.4 percent clip and sixth in scoring with 78 points per game.
 
Sophomore guards Charles Moore and Justen Hartfield lead the Lions offensively. Moore is putting up 11.8 points and 2.9 assists per game on 48.5 percent shooting, while Hartfield is averaging 10.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on a 42 percent clip. In addition to that duo, Bennett Wilson (9.4ppg, 2.4apg), Nassyr Daniel (8.7ppg, 6.3rpg) and Brandon Watkins (7.8ppg, 5.4rpg) have also been regular contributors.
 
With the 6-8 Daniel serving as the team's tallest player, Mars Hill has struggled to rebound the ball. The Lions are ranked second-to-last in the SAC in rebounding margin with at minus-4.4 for the season. Mars Hill has also grabbed the second-fewest total rebounds in the SAC with 245.
 
On the flip side, Lincoln Memorial ranks second in the nation in defensive rebounds per game with 33.25 and 15th in rebound margin with a plus-10.3 margin for the season.
 
The Railsplitters have utterly dominated the all-time series against Mars Hill, winning the last 16 head-to-head matchups to build a 32-9 advantage. Lincoln Memorial has won the last 12 games of that 16-game winning streak by a minimum of 22 points, including wins by 35 and 29 points during the 2016-17 campaign. LMU is also 17-4 all-time against Mars Hill in Harrogate.
 
Tip-off between the Railsplitters and Lions is set for 8 p.m. inside of 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
 
- Monday marks the start of a busy eight-day stretch for the Railsplitters, who turn around to host Wingate on Wednesday before traveling to Newberry on Saturday. Lincoln Memorial closes out the 2017 portion of the schedule with a neutral-site contest against No. 1 nationally-ranked Northwest Missouri State in Owensboro, Ky. on December 19.
 
- Leading scorer Trevon Shaw will be looking to bounce back from his least productive performance of the season, as he accounted for a season-low six points on 2-of-8 shooting against Bluefield College. Prior to that, the senior had not scored fewer than 14 points in a game this season.
 
- Senior forward Dorian Pinson is closing in on a couple of milestones. He needs 77 points to become the 28th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. On top of that, Pinson is just 51 rebounds shy of becoming the ninth player in program history with 700 career boards.
 
- Mars Hill is not a real threat from behind the arc as the Lions rank 10th in the SAC in three-pointers made (6.3) and attempted per game (17.6). The team is shooting 35.5 percent from deep.