SALISBURY, N.C. – The No. 3 Railsplitters (16-1, 10-0 SAC) will try to extend the nation's longest road winning streak to 17 on Saturday afternoon when they conclude a three-game road trip with a South Atlantic Conference matchup against the Catawba Indians (5-10, 2-8 SAC). Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. inside of Goodman Gymnasium.
 
Lincoln Memorial has not lost a regular-season road game in well over a full calendar year. Since suffering a 103-101 overtime setback at Queens on January 9, 2017, the Railsplitters have rattled off 16 straight road victories, which is far and away the longest active road winning streak in Division II men's hoops. Northern State and Claflin claim the second-longest active road winning streak with 10 consecutive road wins.
 
The Railsplitters won their 16th straight road game as well as their 24th consecutive SAC contest with a decisive 108-69 victory at No. 18 Carson-Newman on Wednesday night. In one of its more complete performances of the season, Lincoln Memorial shot 58 percent from the field and buried 18 three-pointers while allowing the Eagles to shoot just 34 percent. The Railsplitters also dished out 28 assists and turned the ball over only seven times to hand Carson-Newman its worst loss ever at Holt Fieldhouse, where the Eagles had won 15 consecutive games prior to the 39-point blowout. It was the fifth-worst loss in program history for C-N.
 
The big three continued to shine for the Railsplitters. Trevon Shaw went off for 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting and connected on eight three-pointers, while Emanuel Terry matched his career-high mark with 27 points on a nearly flawless 10-for-12 shooting performance. He also added 12 rebounds. Dorian Pinson finished an assist shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
 
Cornelius Taylor also had a great night, scoring 14 points and handing out eight assists without a turnover. He did all that while serving as the primary defender on reigning SAC Player of the Year Charles Clark, who labored to score 21 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
 
That win kept Lincoln Memorial unbeaten in SAC play at the exact midway point of the conference schedule. The Railsplitters are in sole possession of first place in the league standings and hold a one-game lead over Queens and a three-game lead over third-place Carson-Newman. LMU is trying to win its sixth consecutive SAC regular-season title and its seventh in the last eight years.
 
The Railsplitters begin the second half of the SAC schedule with a trip to Salisbury, N.C. to face the injury-ravaged Catawba Indians.
 
The Indians had high hopes and lofty expectations heading into the 2017-18 season, as they were projected to finish fourth in the league's preseason coaches poll behind preseason All-SAC selections Jameel Taylor and Jerrin Morrison. However, those two have both battled injuries throughout the season and have played together in just four games.
 
Morrison and Taylor have been monsters when they are able to play. Morrison, who has appeared in 13 of the team's 15 games, is ranked second in the SAC in scoring with 21 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per outing. Taylor, who has played just four games and has missed the last six, has contributed 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.
 
The Indians were without both Morrison and Taylor in the first go around with the Railsplitters and the outcome wasn't pretty. Lincoln Memorial absolutely shut down the Catawba offensive attack, holding the Indians to 31 percent shooting in a 103-58 destruction at Tex Turner Arena on December 2. Malik Constantine scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead a decimated Catawba team, while Peyton Pappas added 12 points in 21 minutes off the bench.
 
The Railsplitters had issues to deal with in that game as well, as Terry played just 10 minutes while battling foul trouble. That didn't make much difference, though, as the Railsplitters nailed 16 three-pointers and shot 52 percent as a team to power the 45-point win. Shaw scored 25 to lead LMU, while Taylor scored 21 with five assists and Pinson produced 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and four blocks.
 
It's unknown if Taylor will return to the lineup, but Morrison will almost certainly be in the lineup for Catawba for Saturday's contest. Morrison hasn't missed a game since that December 2nd clash at LMU, and he's scored double figures in each of the last nine games, including a 26-point outburst against Newberry and a 37-point explosion against St. Augustine's.
 
Terry has also been on a roll for the Railsplitters since that season-low two-point performance against Catawba, scoring 27 in two of the team's last three games. He's also posted a double-double in four of his last five appearances.
 
While the Railsplitters have won 16 straight road games and 24 consecutive SAC contests while also boasting a SAC-best five-game winning streak overall, Catawba heads into Saturday's contest having lost five of its last seven games. The Indians had a humble two-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night with a 92-87 setback against Newberry.
 
History also isn't on Catawba's side. The Railsplitters have beaten the Indians 10 consecutive times, including four consecutive wins in Salisbury. All told, Lincoln Memorial is 20-11 against Catawba and 14-1 in the teams' last 15 meetings.
 
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats, video and audio 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
 
- Behind Morrison and Taylor, Constantine leads the Catawba attack with 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game on 46 percent shooting. Jeremy McLaughlin is contributing 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing on 52 percent shooting.
 
- The Railsplitters have won five consecutive games against Catawba by double figures. The Indians' last win in the series came in February 2013 in Salisbury.
 
- Catawba hits the fewest three-pointers per game of any SAC team with just 5.7. The Indians are a decent rebounding team, though, pulling in the second-most boards per game with 40.9.
 
- The Indians allow opponents to shooting 39 percent from three, the second-highest conversion rate allowed in the league. That might not bode well for Catawba, as Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC in three-point field-goal percentage (44.5) and ranks second in three-pointers per game (12.5).