HARROGATE, Tenn. – A 12-0 run in the third quarter and strong defense down the stretch powered the Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team to the 81-70 South Atlantic Conference win over Tusculum Wednesday evening in the Tex Turner Arena.

With the win, LMU improves to 11-7 overall and 7-5 in SAC play and also avenges a two point loss to the Pioneers back on November 29. Tusculum falls to 13-5 and 8-4 in the SAC.

After having their worst offensive output of the season last Saturday at Catawba, the Lady Railsplitters came out shooting as they shot 52.9 percent in the first quarter while opening up with an 11-0 start. That start, which saw the Pioneers shoot 18.8 percent for the quarter, also set the tone for most of the game as there were several stretches where LMU's defense forced Tusculum into bad shots and held them scoreless for several minutes at a time.

Emily Griffith started off the evening with the short-range jumper off a pass from Dasia Maxwell. On LMU's next possession Shea Coker buried the three-pointer to give LMU a 5-0 start. Another basket by Coker and baskets from Maggie Jachimczuk and Jordan Brightwell put the Lady Railsplitters ahead 11-0 midway through the quarter.

The Pioneers finally found their shooting touch and cut the lead to eight before going on another cold spell where they only scored one point over the next four minutes. LMU extended the lead to 14 off the old fashioned three-point play by Emily Griffith. The Pioneers cut the lead to 21-13 with 18 seconds left in the first quarter but LMU's Elizabeth Jones scored as time expired to put LMU ahead by 10.

Tusculum opened up the second quarter with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 23-21 with 5:22 left in the half. Baskets from Qua Hines and Coker would end the run but the Pioneers would cut the lead to 29-28 with 1:15 left on a basket by Kendrea Duke. Ross Mathis then hit a three pointer on LMU's next possession, but TC once again cut the lead to 32-31 to end the half.

LMU had a couple of quick turnovers, which Tusculum capitalized on to grab the 37-36 lead with 7:33 to go in the third period with a three-pointer by Sydney Wilson. Shea Coker answered back almost immediately with a three-pointer of her own, followed by five quick points from Jachimczuk to put the Blue and Gray back in the lead 44-37. TC would again cut the lead to 44-42 only to see LMU break out with a 12-0 run and grab a late 56-42 lead. The Pioneers would score back to back baskets to trim the lead to 56-46 heading into the final period.

???????Tusculum chipped away at the lead, cutting it to 66-61 with 6:16 remaining in the game. LMU then went on another run while the Pioneers hit another cold spell, this time by an 11-3 margin, over the next five and a half minutes. The Lady Railsplitters then coasted to the 80-71 win.

LMU was led by Rachel Griffith, who came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points. Shea Coker chipped in 14 points and six rebounds. Ross Mathis also had six rebounds and five assists to go along with eight points while Emily Griffith dished out six assists.

As a team, LMU shot 47.5 percent (29-61) from the field, 42.9 percent (6-14) from three-point range and 84.2 percent (16-19) from the free throw line. They dominated the Pioneers in several categories, including rebounding (46-33), bench points (40-14) and points in the paint (40-30). They did have 23 turnovers compared to 14 by the Pioneers, and Tusculum capitalized with 26 points off those turnovers.

Sydney Wilson led Tusculum with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Yolizma Cupidan had 15 points and Kasey Johnson chipped in 14 points. The Pioneers shot 35.3 percent from the field, 32.0 percent from behind the arc and 75 percent from the charity stripe.

Quick Hits
- LMU improves to 43-29 in the all-time series. They are 25-11 in Harrogate and 15-7 in the Tex Turner Arena. In the Krystal Evans era, LMU is 6-2 against the Pioneers.

- 46 seems to be the magic number for rebounds, as LMU has hit that total three times in home games this season. All of them (Clayton State, Coker and Tusculum) were victories. In total, when LMU is 8-1 this season when they pull down 45 or more rebounds. The lone loss was to Lander in the season opener.

- The win was Coach Krystal Evans' 40th in the Turner Arena. She improves to 40-10 in home games for her career.

Up Next
LMU continues their home stand as they host Lenoir-Rhyne for a Saturday matinee SAC tilt. The Lady Railsplitters won the earlier meeting in Hickory 72-58 and are looking for the season sweep over the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne will come into the game with an 11-9 overall record and a 5-7 record in the SAC following their 72-54 win over Coker earlier tonight.