HICKORY, N.C. – The No. 6 Railsplitters (11-1, 5-0 SAC) will try to bounce back from their first loss of the season and return to action following a 10-day layoff on Saturday afternoon when they pay the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (4-7, 2-3 SAC) a visit for a South Atlantic Conference matchup tipping off at 4 p.m.
 
Lincoln Memorial endured its worst offensive performance of the season on December 19 in a 70-56 loss to the defending national champion and No. 1 nationally ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. The Railsplitters shot 52.2 percent from the field, but turned the ball over 17 times and were limited to just 28 points in each half to see their season-opening 11-game winning streak end. Prior to that game, the Railsplitters had not been held below 88 points this season.
 
Cornelius Taylor, Emanuel Terry and Dorian Pinson accounted for 37 of the team's 56 points. Taylor scored 15 points, while Terry scored 12 on 6-of-7 shooting. Pinson produced a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Leading scorer Trevon Shaw was held to just six points to match a season-low mark.
 
The loss to Northwest Missouri State was just the third setback for Lincoln Memorial in its last 34 games dating back to last season. The Bearcats are responsible for two of those losses, including a season-ending 79-67 loss in the 2017 national semifinals.
 
After stewing on that loss during a 10-day break for the holidays, the Railsplitters will return to action to face a Lenoir-Rhyne team that they have dominated in recent years. Lincoln Memorial is 18-8 all-time against the Bears and has won the last 15 head-to-head meetings dating back to January 2011. The Railsplitters have won each of the last four games by a minimum of 11 points and has also won the last seven games inside of Shuford Gymnasium.
 
The Bears have not fared particularly well in their second season under head coach Everick Sullivan. Lenoir-Rhyne opened the season with four straight losses by single digits. The Bears turned the corner with wins in four of its next five games, but followed that up with back-to-back losses at Carson-Newman and King before the holiday break.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne shares three common opponents with Lincoln Memorial. The Bears beat Mars Hill, who the Railsplitters bludgeoned 156-69, and went a combined 0-3 against Newberry and King. That included a 31-point loss at King in the second matchup against the Tornado, who the Railsplitters shellacked 94-60 on November 11.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne's struggles are most noticeable on the offensive end of the floor, where the Bears are averaging the second-fewest points per game in the SAC with 71.0 and shooting just 44.1 percent from the field. On top of that, L-R is ranked 10th in the SAC in three-point field-goal percentage with a 31.9 percent mark and 11th in free throws attempted per game with 15.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne is a capable defensive outfit, though, holding opponents to 72.1 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting and a 33.6 percent clip from three-point territory.
 
Junior guard Cory Thomas is leading the Lenoir-Rhyne attack with 13.9 points and 3.1 assists per game on 45.5 percent shooting. Guard Djibril Diallo has produced 10 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on a 43 percent mark from the field. Junior forward Bertrand Awana leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per game to go along with 8.9 points on 72 percent shooting. Nobody else is averaging more than seven points per game for the Bears.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne has lost a number of close games this season, suffering a 72-71 overtime loss to King, a 77-75 setback at Newberry, a 62-57 season-opening loss at UNC Pembroke and a 90-83 loss at Carson-Newman. Only one of the team's seven losses has come by a margin of more than eight points.
 
Tip-off between the Railsplitters and Bears is set for 4 p.m. in Hickory, N.C. Live stats and video links are available at www.lmurailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Railsplitters dominated last season's trip to Hickory, winning 97-75. Former All-Americans Chris Perry and Luquon Choice combined for 53 points in that win, while Taylor chipped in 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Jarvis Calhoun, who is averaging 5.5 points per game this season, scored 16 points off the bench to help the Bears' cause.
 
- Lenoir-Rhyne has been significantly better at home this season. The Bears are 3-1 overall at Shuford Gymnasium, where they are averaging 74.5 points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. On the flip side, L-R is 1-5 on the road and putting up just 68.8 points per game on 41 percent shooting.
 
- The Bears have been outrebounded by an average of 2.7 boards per game. Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC in rebounding margin with an average margin of 11.5 rebounds per game.