HARROGATE, Tenn. – The No. 3 Railsplitters (1-2) will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the 2008-09 season on Tuesday night when they open Tex Turner Arena with a matchup against the Paine College Lions (0-2).
 
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. or approximately 25 minutes following the conclusion of the women's game against King. Live stats, video and audio links are available at www.lmurailsplittes.com, while fans can also follow along with live updates on the official LMU athletics Twitter page, @LMURailsplitter. 
 
Notes on Paine 
 
- The Lions opened the 2018-19 season by taking an 82-64 drubbing at Flagler. Paine shot just 39 percent in the contest, including a dreadful 2-for-14 mark from three-point range, and were outscored 45-29 in the second half. 
- On Saturday, Augusta scored with 23 seconds left in regulation to secure a 64-62 win over Paine in Augusta, Ga. The Lions made small improvements offensively in that loss, though, connecting on nine of their 22 three-point tries. 
- The Lions have lost 13 of their last 15 games dating back to January of last season. Paine last tasted victory with a 70-64 win against Benedict College on February 15, 2018. 
- Sophomore forward Cameron Gaines leads the Lions in both scoring and rebounding with 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The 6-8 Conyers, Ga., native is shooting 50 percent from the field and has also tallied a team-leading four blocks. 
- Four other players are averaging over seven points per game for Paine in junior Mars Hill transfer Charles Moore (8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds per), Savannah State transfer Khalen Pinkett (8.5 points, 2.0 rebounds per), Central Oklahoma transfer Fadil Robinson (8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds per) and freshman guard Charles Fairchild (7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds per). 
- Paine has mostly struggled on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the Lions are averaging only 63 points per game on 39 percent shooting and a 35 percent mark from three. Defensively, opponents are averaging 73 points per game and shooting 45 percent. 
- The Lions average 8.0 steals per game and have forced opponents into 14.0 turnovers per contest. Ronzell Evans leads the team with five steals, while Fairchild has contributed four. 
- Darryl Stinson is in his third season leading the Paine men's basketball program. The 2011 Tiffin graduate has led the Lions to a combined 9-49 record in his tenure. 
 
Last Time Out 
 
The Railsplitters fell into a 27-7 first-half hole and were never able to recover in an 81-75 loss at Christian Brothers on Saturday. Lincoln Memorial cut the deficit to as little as one point in the second half, but that's as close as it would get as the Railsplitters suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since November 2016. The loss also dropped LMU to 1-2 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. 
 
Cornelius Taylor led LMU in scoring for the third consecutive game with 23 points, while Cameron Henry played a solid supporting role again with 13 points. Freshman Xavier Bledson had a near double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. Kamaran Calhoun chipped in 10 points and four boards. 
 
Avoiding Three Straight Losses
 
The Railsplitters hope to avoid dropping three straight games for the first time since the 2008-09 team lost four straight against Georgia Southwestern, Carson-Newman, Ohio Valley and UVA-Wise in head coach Josh Schertz's first season. 
 
During its current two-game skid, Lincoln Memorial has trailed for the entirety of three consecutive halves of basketball, as the Railsplitters last led early in the first half of their loss at USC Aiken on November 10. 
 
Tough at Tex Turner 
 
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Railsplitters have been nearly unbeatable on their home court, posting a combined 122-9 record in Harrogate over that span. Lincoln Memorial went 17-1 at Tex Turner Arena last season. The Railsplitters are also 10-0 in home openers under Schertz. 
 
Youth Movement 
 
Lincoln Memorial relied heavily on young players in Saturday's matchup at Christian Brothers. True freshmen Bledson and Courvoisier McCauley each played at least 23 minutes, while redshirt-freshman Henry started and played 28 minutes. Sophomores Alex Dahling and TJ Harvin also served in major roles as Harvin led the team with 32 minutes of action. 
 
Taylor Leading the Charge 
 
Despite the influx of young players in the rotation, redshirt-junior and preseason All-American Taylor continues to lead the way for the Railsplitters. The Claxton, Ga., native has scored at least 20 points in all three games and is averaging 23.3 points per contest. He has also contributed 6.0 rebounds per game and handed out a team-leading nine assists, but he also leads the team with 15 turnovers. Taylor has connected on 14 three-pointers to lead the team in that department as well.
 
Bounce Back Defensively 
 
Lincoln Memorial was not at its best defensively in Saturday's loss at Christian Brothers, as the Bucs shot 45 percent from the field and dropped in 81 points while going 12-for-16 at the charity stripe. That was the highest field-goal percentage LMU has allowed since Coker posted a 47.5 percent mark on January 6, 2018. 
 
Series History 
 
Tuesday will serve as the first-ever meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Paine, a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. 
 
Quotables 
 
"Obviously I didn't do a good job of having our guys ready to play to start the game. It's hard to spot a good team a 20-point lead on their home floor. That being said, I thought we showed some resilience in getting ourselves back into the game from there. I do think our guys are trying hard, we just aren't playing smart and you need both to beat quality teams at this level." 
 
- Josh Schertz following Saturday's loss at Christian Brothers