HARROGATE, Tenn. – A pair of runs in the second half and strong defense helped propel the Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team past Catawba 60-43 in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon.

The game was tied at 23-23 late in the second quarter before LMU (4-3, 1-1 SAC) would take a three point lead off a layup and free throw by Qua Hines with less than five seconds in the half. They would then open the third quarter on a 11-3 run and, along with another run in the fourth quarter, break open the game whole holding Catawba (3-4, 1-1 SAC) to 17.9 percent shooting for the second half.

Hines led LMU with a career-high 11 points. She also pulled down three rebounds. The Griffith twins, Emily and Rachel, each chipped in 10 points apiece. Emily's came via a 5-12 shooting night from the field while Rachel only missed on shot all night; going 2-3 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Ross Mathis came off the bench to grab a career-high eight rebounds, which led the team.

Serena Brown led Catawba with 12 points and five assists in addition to four rebounds. Terri Rogers chipped in eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

LMU would finish the evening hitting 35.6 percent (21-59) from the field, 30.8 percent (4-13) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the free throw line. The Lady Railsplitter defense held the Indians to 25.0% (15-60) from the field and 16.7% (4-24) from behind the arc. Catawba did have a decent outing at the charity stripe, hitting 81.8% (9-11) of their free throws. After trailing in rebounds for most of the game, LMU did pull ahead late to out-rebound the Indians by a 45-41 margin.

Catawba surged out to a 5-0 lead following a three-pointer and a short jumper from Brown. A driving basket from Karsen Sims put LMU on the board and then a basket from Emily Griffith and a trey by Rachel Griffith gave the Lady Railsplitters a 7-5 lead. Catawba then went on an 11-2 run to grab a 14-9 lead with 1:44 left in the quarter. A free throw by Hines and one by Sydney Newsome would cut the deficit to 14-11 at the end of the quarter.

A free throw by Sims would cut the lead to 14-12 before the Indians put the lead back at five on a three-pointer. LMU would cut it to one point later on the quarter and eventually tie the game on a Rachel Griffith three-pointer with 3:47 remaining. A Hines layup gave LMU the lead, only to see Catawba tie it up at 23-23 with 17 second left. Qua Hines then got the ball at the top of the key and drove it in for the score and the foul with 4.8 seconds remaining in the half. She hit the ensuing free throw and a long jumper by Brown fell short as LMU took the 26-23 lead into halftime.

The Lady Railsplitters came out hot in the third quarter, with a Shea Coker three-pointer sparking an 11-3 run over the next seven minutes that put LMU ahead 37-26. The Indians would cut it to eight points on two occasions only to see LMU slam the door shut on any comeback hopes. A pair of Addi Kirkpatrick free throws would put the Lady Railsplitters ahead 42-31 at the end of the third quarter.

A pair of free throws by Rogers cut the lead to nine, 42-33, with 8:59 remaining. LMU freshman Elizabeth Jones then scored two of her career-high five points to put the lead back at double-figures for good and spark a run that eventually put the Lady Railsplitters ahead by 19, 60-41, with 24 seconds remaining. Catawba would hit two free throws with four seconds left to make the final score 60-43.

Quick Hits
- LMU improves to 12-11 all-time vs. Catawba and 9-3 vs. the Indians in the Tex Turner Arena. It is also LMU's second-largest margin of victory in the series. The largest was a 77-57 win in Harrogate on Jan. 24, 2015.

- The 20 points scored by Catawba in the second half tie for the second-fewest points in a second half by an opponent in the Turner Arena with 20 scored by Winston-Salem State on Nov. 20, 2012. The fewest points in the second half by an opponent in the Tex Turner Arena? 19, by Mars Hill on Jan. 4. 2017.

- The win was LMU's 257th in the Turner Arena. They have now played 349 games there since Feb. 2, 1991.

Up Next
LMU takes a week off for finals before returning to action on Dec. 11, when they host Mars Hill in SAC action. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. in the Tex Turner Arena. Two nights later they host Wingate to close out the three-game home stand.