HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run and never looked back in an 84-60 win over Tennessee Wesleyan in the Tex Turner Arena Tuesday evening.

The game up to that point had been an ugly affair, with LMU shooting a mere 33.3 percent from the field and 5-14 from behind the arc in addition to eight turnovers. Tennessee Wesleyan wasn't faring much better as the Bulldogs went 21.4 percent from the field and had nine turnovers of their own.

In spite of the cold shooting, LMU did lead by as much as six points throughout the first quarter and eight points in the second before TWU rallied back to take their only lead of the game, 28-27, with 4:25 left in the first half. A pair of Emily Griffith jumpers in the paint gave LMU the lead back for good soon afterward as they led 37-33 at the half.

"I felt like we came out very timid for whatever reason in the first half," said LMU head coach Krystal Evans, talking about her team's performance after the game. "We were settling for a lot of outside shots, and we have great shooters. I just felt we should have gone inside-out more."

The second half was a different story, as LMU began to do just that with Emily Griffith and point guard Sydney Newsome scoring three straight baskets on driving layups. Other players fed on the heightened aggressiveness, including Sydney Duggins, who scored 12 of her 18 points in the third quarter. The defense also forced TWU into 15 of their 24 turnovers in the second half, which converted to 20 points. For the game, LMU would end up with 30 points off of Bulldog turnovers.

Tennessee Wesleyan would cut the lead to 45-38 with 5:45 remaining in the third only to see LMU pull the lead back out to 21 points. They led by as much as 28 points in the fourth quarter and held an 80-64 lead at the end of the game.

"We had a monstrous third quarter," said Coach Krystal Evans. "I just felt like we came out aggressive and looking like the team I know we're capable of looking like in the second half."

Emily Griffith led all scorers with a career-high 22 points in addition to a career-high nine rebounds. Duggins chipped in 18 points and six rebounds, while Shermeria Quarles pulled down eight rebounds.

Savannah Atkins led TWU with 14 points, while NAIA All-American Hunter Simpson chipped in 14 points. Hannah Troutt led the team with six rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

LMU held the edge in shooting, out-shooting TWU 40.8 percent to 35.8 percent. Both teams hit 11 three-pointers, but LMU was more efficient as they shot them at a 45.8 percent clip compared to 34.4 percent by the Bulldogs. The Lady Railsplitters hit a season-high 88.2 percent of their free throws, compared to TWU's 66.7 percent. LMU also out-rebounded Tennessee Wesleyan 46-33 for the game.

The Lady Railsplitters will go back into South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday as they host Wingate at 2 p.m. Wingate comes into the contest ranked 20th in the D2SIDA Media Poll and riding a five-game winning streak. It will be LMU's final game before the Christmas break.