HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 2 Railsplitters (18-1, 12-0 SAC) aim to extend a number of remarkable streaks on Saturday when they welcome the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (8-10, 6-6 SAC) to Tex Turner Arena for a 4 p.m. tip-off. As part of Lincoln Memorial's Pack the House promotional event, admission will be completely free of charge for that game.  
 
Lincoln Memorial will be trying to push its South Atlantic Conference winning streak to 27 games, which is closing in on the longest conference winning streak in SAC history of 29 that the Railsplitters set over the course of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. The Railsplitters also have won 17 consecutive home games since December 2016.
 
In addition to those two impressive streaks, the Railsplitters have beaten Lenoir-Rhyne 16 straight times since their last loss in the series on February 13, 2010. That includes a 72-55 win when the two teams met earlier this season in Hickory, N.C.
 
Lincoln Memorial remained atop the SAC standings with another utterly dominant performance on Wednesday night. The Railsplitters shot 57 percent from the field and held visiting Tusculum to 34 percent shooting to power a 103-70 win, which pushed LMU's winning streak against the rival Pioneers to 23.
 
In the wake of that 33-point victory, the Railsplitters can now claim yet another absurd distinction as they lead the nation in both field-goal percentage offense (55 percent) and field-goal percentage defense (36.5 percent). Due an otherworldly efficiency on both sides of the floor, Lincoln Memorial also leads the nation in scoring margin, winning by an average of 28.4 points per outing.
 
Dorian Pinson led the Railsplitters in the win over Tusculum, scoring a career-high 30 points on a near-perfect 14-for-16 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Emanuel Terry added 18 points and nine boards, while Trevon Shaw, Cornelius Taylor and Alex Dahling chipped in 12 points apiece.
 
The first time Lincoln Memorial and Lenoir-Rhyne met this season back on December 30 in Hickory, N.C., the Railsplitters found a way to win despite playing one of its worst games of the season. LMU went a dreadful 4-for-22 from three-point territory to record its second-lowest point total of the season but made enough plays in the second half to pull out a 17-point victory. The Railsplitters also allowed the Bears to shoot 45 percent from the field, including a 56 percent mark in the second half.
 
The Bears are playing a bit better since that loss, too, as they arrive in Harrogate with wins in four of their last six games, including an 83-72 victory over Coker on Wednesday. That stretch also includes just a seven-point loss at No. 3 Queens and wins over Catawba, Tusculum and Wingate. Lenoir-Rhyne is currently alone in fifth place in the SAC standings.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne plays at a methodical pace, averaging the second-fewest shot attempts (58.5) and points (71.6) per game in the SAC. The Bears are an efficient bunch, though, converting 46.4 percent of their shot attempts, which is good for the fourth-highest field goal percentage in the league.
 
L-R is also a sturdy defensive unit, holding opponents to just under 72 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting and a 33.3 percent mark from three.
 
Junior guards Cory Thomas and Djibril Diallo lead the Lenoir-Rhyne attack with 14.6 and 13.1 points per game, respectively. Both of those guys are shooting over 47 percent from the field but aren't much of threat from three-point range. Thomas led the Bears in the first meeting against the Railsplitters, scoring a game-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Diallo was limited to just six points over 29 minutes of action.
 
Behind that duo, junior forward Bertrand Awana is contributing 8.4 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting an absurd 72.4 percent from the floor. Seniors Reed Lucas and Billy Bales are pitching in 6.2 and 6.1 points per game, respectively.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne is just 2-7 on the road this season. The Bears are averaging nearly seven points less per game on the road (68.7) than at home (75.0). In addition to that, L-R has lost eight consecutive games at Tex Turner Arena, including a 103-80 loss in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.
 
Terry led the Railsplitters in the first go-around with the Bears this season, putting up a monster double-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, while Pinson produced 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Deshawn Patterson added 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
 
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and L-R is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats and video links are available at www.lmurailsplitters.com. Fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Railsplitters lead the SAC in rebounding margin, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 10.2 boards per game. Lenoir-Rhyne is in the bottom half of the league in that department with a minus 1.8 rebounding margin.
 
- Lincoln Memorial has won the last four games in the series by at least 11 points. The last game between LMU and L-R decided by less than that was a four-overtime thriller in Hickory on December 2, 2015, which the Railsplitters won 123-122.
 
- Head coach Josh Schertz enters Saturday's contest with a 252-54 record at Lincoln Memorial. He is second in school history in wins, trailing only the legendary Dean Bailey (338 wins).