HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 4/5 Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team seeks win number 21 on the season as they host Wingate in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday at noon in a matchup of the top two teams in the SAC. LMU pulled out the 84-83 win in double overtime at Wingate on Dec. 14.

LMU is currently 20-0 overall and 15-0 in SAC play coming into the game. They are currently ranked fourth in the latest D2SIDA National Media Poll and fifth in the WBCA/USA Today NCAA Division II Coaches Poll. The 15-0 start in SAC play is the best start by any women's basketball team in the history of the conference.

LMU's last 20-win season came in the 2003-04 season. That team went 21-8, losing to Henderson State in the Gulf South Conference Tournament semifinals.

The team is one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II. Of the other two schools, Ashland defeated Ohio Dominican Thursday evening and will play at Hillsdale on Saturday while Colorado State-Pueblo hosts Adams State Friday evening.

Currently, LMU sits atop the SAC standings with their 15-0 SAC record. Wingate is in second with a 12-3 records. Anderson and Carson-Newman are tied for third with 11-4 records.

In their last game at Brevard, the Tornados played beyond their depleted numbers (only five players dressed out) and kept it close until LMU pulled away in the second half for the 86-74 win in the final meeting between the two schools.
Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) had a new career high and her 11th double-double of the season as she poured in 30 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Karsen Sims (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) had 13 points, including three three-pointers while Sydney Duggins (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) chipped in 12 points. Madison Lenox led BC with 28 points while Lynsey Crisp had 18 and AnnaLee Bollinger scored 13 points.

Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally on the American Sports Network. It will also be streamed by LMU and on NCAA.com. LMU will be providing live stats. Links to those are available at the top of this page or on www.lmurailsplitters.com.
 
LINCOLN MEMORIAL VS. WINGATE
· LMU won the prior meeting this season, 84-83 in double overtime at Wingate.
· In the last meeting in the Tex Turner Arena, Wingate used a first-quarter run and a 78-67 rebounding advantage to defeat the Lady Railsplitters 78-67 on Dec. 16, 2015. Megan Pittman led LMU with 18 points and Kristina Rumplasch led the Bulldogs with 18.
· Wingate comes into the game in second place in the SAC with a 16-4 overall record and a 12-3 record in SAC play. They are also on a five game winning streak.
· After this game, the Lady Railsplitters will host Tusculum Wednesday evening. The Pioneers upset Anderson on Wednesday 65-51 in Greeneville and host Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday.
 
SCOUTING LMU
· The current 20 game win streak is the longest win streak during LMU's time in the NCAA and LMU's best start to a season in program history.
· Senior All-SAC performer Megan Pittman leads the team in scoring with an average of 16.4 points a game. She is second on the team in rebounding with 10.2 a game. Pittman is currently shooting 82.0% from the free throw line, which ranks her sixth in the SAC.  She is now second in the SAC in total free throws and offensive rebounds and third in all other rebounding categories, fourth in points, eighth in steals and ninth in blocks.
· Junior Shea Coker is second on the team in scoring with a 13.9 points per game average. She currently is second in the SAC in 3-pt percentage, seventh in field goal percentage and made three-pointers, ninth in made field goals, twelfth in points and thirteenth in points per game.
· Senior Josey Harding currently leads the team and the SAC in rebounding and rebounds per game with 11.0 rebounds a game (Pittman is third, with Wingate's Marta Miscenko between them) and is fourth on the team in scoring with 7.5 points a game. She also currently ranks second in the SAC in defensive rebounds, third in offensive rebounds and fourth in free throws. She is also 13th in free throw percentage and 15th in blocks. She set a new SAC single-game rebound record with her 27 at Carson-Newman and with her 23 rebounds at Anderson she became the first LMU player, men or women, to have three 20+ rebound games.
· Karsen Sims (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) is third on the team in scoring with 8.8 points a game. She currently is third in the SAC in 3-pt. percentage (just behind Shea Coker) and assist to turnover ratio and is 11th in assists.
· Rachel Griffith (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) ranks 15th in the SAC in steals and is ranked nationally in steals and steals per game.
· As a team, LMU ranks first in the SAC in 3-pt. percentage, all free throw categories, offensive rebounds per game and total rebounds per game. They rank second in opponents' three-point percentage, rebound margin, defensive rebounds, field goals made, FG attempts, points and points per game.
· LMU is outshooting their opponents 41.3 percent to 37.5 percent this season. They are outscoring their opponents by a 15.9 points per game margin.
· LMU is ranked third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, fifth in rebound margin and offensive rebounds and sixth in rebounds per game. They are 17th in scoring margin and 15th in scoring offense.
· The Lady Railsplitters are currently out-rebounding opponents by 11.4 rebounds a game. In the Krystal Evans era, LMU has outrebounded their opponents in 67 of the 78 games played.
· LMU enters the game with a program record of 840-480-1 in 75 seasons of competition.
 
LMU IN THE RANKINGS
· The Lady Railsplitters are ranked fifth in the latest WBCA/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll.        
· The team is ranked in the D2SIDA National Media Poll at the No. 4 spot. This is the highest the team has ever been ranked in any poll in program history.
· The fourth-place ranking is the highest any SAC team has been ranked in the media poll, which was started in 2014 and ties the highest ranking by a SAC team in conference history. The other team? Former SAC member Presbyterian, who was ranked fourth in the coaches' poll for two weeks in February, 2000.
· The fifth-place ranking this week ties the highest ranking by a current SAC team in the coaches' poll with Tusculum, who were ranked fifth the week of Jan. 13, 3009.
· LMU is also ranked first in the Southeast Region in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, with 60 total points and all six first place votes.
 
RECORD WATCH
· POINTS - Megan Pittman currently has 963 career points, moving her up to 21st. She trails #20 Andy Winney (2006-09) by ten points and #19 Jennifer Childs (1999-03) by eleven. Coker has 662, Harding has 640, Anderson 343, Mathis 258 and Sims 236.
· REBOUNDS - Pittman has 736 career rebounds, and now is in third place in the LMU record book. She is 123 rebounds behind second-place Lori Neely (1985-89).
· Harding currently has 698 rebounds and ranks sixth in career rebounds. She is 11 behind #5 Brown and trails Pittman by 38. Should she pass 700 she will be the sixth player in school history to have 700 rebounds and if she passes Brown to take fifth place you would have two of the top five rebounders in program history on the same team.
· FIELD GOALS – Pittman has moved into 22^nd place on the made field goals list. She is 11 behind #21 Karra Jackson (1998-02). She is also now 24th on the attempts list with 735 and is 27 behind Laura Winters (1988-92).
· THREE-POINTERS - Coker is 11th in made treys with 77 and trails former teammate #10 Katrina Ottesen (2013-15) by 12. Coker is also tied for 17th on the three-point attempts list with former teammate Britney Guy (2012-16) with 176, and first on the 3-pt percentage list with a .438 percentage. Mathis is 17th in made treys with 65 and trails #16 Mollie Cooper (1994-97) by three. She is 16th on the attempts list with 188.
· FREE THROWS - Harding is tied for 14th all-time in made free throws (236) with Amanda Jackson (1997-01). She trails #13 Carrie Shoffner (1985-89) by seven. She is 11th in free throw attempts (336) and is five behind Robin Cox (1992-96).
· Pittman is now 16th all-time in made free throws with 232. She is four behind Josey Harding and Jackson. She is in 21st place in free throw attempts with 284, which translates to third place in career free throw percentage (81.7%).
· BLOCKS - Harding is currently in fifth place on the all-time blocks list with 102. She is the fifth player in LMU history to have 100 or more blocks.
· Pittman is also on the blocks list, where she is 16^th with 47 blocks. Pittman is three behind 15^th place Pam Walters (1989-93).
 
LAST TIME VS. WINGATE
· The teams met in Wingate on Dec. 14. LMU built up a double-digit lead in the first quarter and kept it around the 10 point mark for the rest of the first three quarters. They entered the fourth quarter with a 56-45 lead only to see the Bulldogs mount a comeback and take their first lead of the game off a Marta Miscenko free throw with 47 seconds left. Sims would tie the game up and force overtime. Wingate would lead throughout most of the first overtime and hold a 78-76 lead with six seconds remaining before Rachel Griffith hit the clutch jumper just inside the three-point line as time expired to force overtime number two. The teams swapped leads in that overtime with the Bulldogs having an 83-82 lead late before Shea Coker hit a highly contested jumper with four seconds left. Wingate advanced the ball and Pittman blocked the shot to seal LMU's 84-83 win.  
· In that meeting Sydnie Anderson (Cleveland, Tenn.) led LMU with 20 points, Pittman had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Karsen Sims chipped in 11 points while Emily Griffith (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) had 10. Caroline Averette led WU with 22 points.
 
SERIES VS. WINGATE
· WU leads the series 14-8.
· LMU holds a 5-5 record vs. Wingate in Harrogate and they are 3-9 in Wingate.
 
SCOUTING WINGATE
· Wingate enters the game as ranked first in the SAC in made rebound margin per game with 12.7 and second in field goal percentage. Free throw attempts per game, offensive and total rebounds per game, assists per game, blocks per game, personal fouls per game and points per game allowed. They are third in turnovers per game, defensive rebounds per game and made field goals and field goal attempts per game. They are fourth in points and points per game.
· Marta Miscenko leads the team in scoring with 15.3 per game and ranks sixth in the SAC in that category.
· Miscenko also leads the team in rebounding with 10.3 per game and is second in the SAC behind LMU's Josey Harding. She ranks first in the SAC in offensive rebounds.
· The Bulldogs are currently on a five game win streak, with their last loss coming to Anderson at home, a 62-61 defeat on Jan. 14.