NEWBERRY, S.C. – The No. 4 Railsplitters (10-0, 4-0 SAC) will play their third game in six days on Saturday afternoon when they visit the Newberry Wolves (7-4, 2-2 SAC) for a 4 p.m. South Atlantic Conference showdown inside of Eleazer Arena.
 
Lincoln Memorial took down the Wingate Bulldogs 88-65 on Wednesday night at Tex Turner Arena to improve to 10-0 for the fourth time in the last eight seasons and the first time since the start of the 2014-15 campaign.
 
Coming off of their record-breaking 156-point blitzkrieg against Mars Hill, the Railsplitters weren't nearly as impressive offensively in the win over Wingate, equaling the team's lowest offensive output of the season. However, Lincoln Memorial did put forth a stellar defensive performance by holding the Bulldogs to 23 first-half points and 35 percent shooting for the game. The Railsplitters attempted just 58 shots – their lowest total of the season – and finished with a 56.9 percent mark from the field.
 
Five players finished with at least 13 points and combined for 76 of the team's 88 total points. Cornelius Taylor led that effort with 18, Trevon Shaw scored 17 points with 15 coming in the second half, and Dorian Pinson and Emanuel Terry provided 14 points apiece. Deshawn Patterson collected 13 points in 26 minutes off the bench.
 
Lincoln Memorial will now direct its attention to one of the more demanding games from a stylistic standpoint on the schedule with a trip to the Palmetto State to face the Newberry Wolves.
 
In stark contrast to Wingate, who plays at the slowest pace in the SAC, Newberry plays at supersonic speed. The Wolves cast up a SAC-leading 35 three-pointers per game, force the 11th-most turnovers per game in the country with 18.6 and score 86.1 points per game. The team's 13.6 three-pointers made per game is the fourth-highest mark in the country.
 
Newberry plays a frenetic brand of basketball, implementing a full-court press for 40 minutes while constantly throwing fresh bodies off the bench platoon style to maintain their chaotic pace. That style has helped the Wolves rank in the top five nationally in scoring in each of the last four seasons, but it has yet to pay dividends this season.
 
Aside from cracking the 100-point barrier against Warren Wilson, Voorhees and Bob Jones, none of which compete in the NCAA Division II, the Wolves have scored over 80 points only two times. In SAC play, Newberry is accounting for only 74.5 points per game and is shooting just 39 percent from the floor.
 
On the flip side, the Wolves have improved drastically on the defensive end of the floor to make up for their uncharacteristic lack of offensive firepower. After allowing 88 points per game on 50 percent shooting a season ago, Newberry is giving up a respectable 77.5 points per game, though SAC opponents are still shooting 49 percent against the Wolves.
 
Newberry has had a mixed bag of results through the first 11 games. The Wolves opened the year with four straight wins, but then lost three of four games, including a 72-67 setback at Wingate. Newberry followed that up with a win over unbeaten and nationally-ranked Carson-Newman, but heads into Saturday's matchup following a head-scratching 81-79 loss to Anderson, who entered that game at 2-8 overall and 0-3 in SAC play. The Wolves led that game by as many as 15 points in the second half.
 
Senior guards Rob Valentine and James Stepp are powering the Newberry offense with 17 and 16 points per game, respectively. Sophomore Marshall Lange is chipping in 12.6 points per game, while freshman Max Miller is contributing 9.0 points per game. Miller also leads the team in rebounding with 6.1 boards per game.
 
Newberry has been one of the trickier teams for the Railsplitters to face among SAC opponents. Lincoln Memorial owns an 18-7 all-time record against the Wolves, but the two teams split last season's series, and Newberry very nearly swept the two regular-season meetings.
 
The Wolves beat LMU 107-102 in last season's matchup at Tex Turner Arena to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series. When the two teams met again later in the season at Eleazer Arena, Newberry led by as many as 23 points in the first half, but the Railsplitters rallied to take down the Wolves 92-85. That furious comeback pushed Lincoln Memorial to 8-3 all-time in Newberry.
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats and video links are available at www.lmurailsplitters.com, while fans can listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Railsplitters have scored at least 100 points in five of their last seven meetings against Newberry. Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC in points per game with 102.2.
 
- Six players are averaging at least eight points per game for the Railsplitters. Shaw, who scored 22 points in last season's trip to Newberry, is leading the way with 20.4 points per game, while Terry (17.5), Pinson (14.0) and Taylor (13.4) are also averaging double figures.
 
- Lincoln Memorial should have the rebounding advantage. The Railsplitters lead the SAC in rebounding margin at plus-12.4, while Newberry is outrebounding its opponents by just 2.2 boards per game. The Wolves do, however, lead the SAC with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game.
 
- Fouls could play a role in the outcome. Newberry leads the SAC with 16.4 made free throws per game. Lincoln Memorial has been foul prone at times and commits 17.6 per game.