SALISBURY, N.C. – The No. 8/9 Lady Railsplitter basketball team added another accolade to an already-record breaking season as they won the program's first-ever South Atlantic Conference Championship in women's basketball with the 89-67 win at Catawba Saturday afternoon.

The conference title is the first outright conference championship for LMU in women's basketball since the 1988-89 season. LMU won the Eastern Division of the Gulf South Conference in 2001 and 2003 but did not win the overall GSC championship. It is LMU's first conference title in the school's NCAA era and the fourth overall since the school re-instated women's basketball in the early 1970s.

The win also improves LMU to 24-3 on the season and 19-3 in the SAC. The 19 conference wins are the most in program history. LMU is currently ranked ninth in the WBCA/USA Today Division II Coaches' Poll and eighth in the D2SIDA National Media Poll.

The Lady Railsplitters finish the regular season having basically led in the conference standings from start to finish. Wingate and Anderson finish tied for second with 18-4 records. Both entered the day with an outside chance to claim at least a share of the regular-season crown, but LMU's win coupled with Anderson's win over Wingate gave LMU the outright title.

The team now is the top seed in next week's SAC Tournament and will open play vs. eighth-seeded Queens Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in the Tex Turner Arena. Should they win they would then reach the SAC Tournament semifinals for the second straight season. The semifinals and finals will be held at the Timmons Arena on the Furman University campus in Greeneville, S.C. March 4-5.

But first there was a game to win and LMU looked like the team that started the season 22-0 with a dominating performance on both ends of the court. They out-shot the Indians 45.2% (28-62)-to-31.3% (21-67) from the field, 53.8% (7-13)-to-13.0% (3-23) from three-point range and 80.6% (25-31)-to-68.8% (22-32) from the free throw line. LMU owned the boards, out-rebounding Catawba 59-30, and the LMU bench outscored Catawba's 34-14.

Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) led the way with her double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds. It was Pittman's 14th double-double of the season and the 32nd of her career, which ties her with Hillary Ross (2000-04) for the school record in double-doubles. Rachel Griffith (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) had a career-high 15 points while Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) added in 14. Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) nearly had her ninth double-double but did have the 6th best rebounding performance in school history with her nine points and 19 rebounds.

Bri Johnson led the Indians with 20 points, while Terri Rogers chipped in 16.

Shea Coker got LMU on the board with the long jumper in LMU's first possession. Back to back baskets by Rogers and Johnson put Catawba ahead 4-2 with 8:53 remaining. LMU then grabbed back the lead and pulled ahead by seven points during an 8-0 run. Catawba would cut the lead back to three only to see LMU pull back out to nine, including a pair of three-pointers by Ross Mathis (Greer, S.C.). A jumper by Rachel Griffith would put LMU back ahead 23-16 before Catawba closed out the quarter with six unanswered points to cut the lead to 23-22 at the end of the quarter.

A jumper by Rogers and a free throw tied the game at 25-25 early in the second quarter. LMU took the lead again only to see the Indians go ahead 29-28 on a Johnson layup. The Lady Railsplitters then went on a 14-3 run and held Catawba to only a three-pointer over the next four and a half minutes. Pittman got the hot hand during that stretch and scored eight of LMU's last nine points of the half as the Lady Railsplitters took a 49-40 lead into the locker room.

A 7-0 run by LMU to start the third quarter broke open the game and put the Lady Railsplitters ahead by 16 points. Catawba would cut it to 58-47 but four quick points by LMU ended the run. The Lady Railsplitters held a 67-52 lead going into the fourth quarter.

LMU would outscore the Indians 22-15 in the final frame, leading by as much as 25 points with 3:28 left in the game. Catawba would out-score LMU 8-2 over the next two and a half minutes, but a jumper from Gerda Paulauskaite (Telsiai, Lithuania) and Kyndall Caudle (Ooltewah, Tenn.) would give LMU the 89-67 lead to close out the game.    

"I am so incredibly proud of this team," said a tearful LMU Head Coach Krystal Evans after the game. "We will definitely celebrate this win tonight and then get ready for next week. We're not done yet."

A sentiment echoed by the three seniors, Megan Pittman, Josey Harding and Sydnie Anderson (Cleveland, Tenn.).

Pittman said after the game, "We have worked hard together all season for this and we are definitely enjoying this moment, but our work is by far not finished yet."

Anderson agreed with the sentiment. "This feeling is amazing, we have never done this before. I'm glad to be a part of making LMU women's basketball history."

Harding echoed Coach Evan's comments and spoke for the entire team and coaching staff when she simply said, "We are not done yet."