HARROGATE, Tenn. – The LMU women's basketball team returns to South Atlantic Conference on Saturday as they host Newberry, who are undefeated in SAC play, at 2 p.m. in the Tex Turner Arena.

LMU is currently 6-5 on the season and 3-2 in SAC play. They are tied for third place in the standings with Carson-Newman and Wingate.

In their last outing, LMU went neck and neck with Clayton State for 37 minutes, but a late run by the Lakers combined with ice-cold shooting by LMU ended up in an 81-69 loss.

Emily Griffith led the way with 17 points, while Rachel Griffith added in 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Sydney Duggins chipped in 11 points and Dasia Maxwell scored 10. LMU won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding CSU 47-42.

Following this game, LMU will host future SAC member and local rival UVa-Wise on Monday. The Highland Cavaliers are currently 5-6 on the year after a loss to King on Dec. 29.
 
SERIES HISTORY
· LMU trails in the series 19-9 and they are 4-5 against Newberry in the Krystal Evans era. The Lady Railsplitters do have a 7-6 advantage in the Turner Arena.

· In their last meeting, on Feb. 3, 2018 in Harrogate, LMU grabbed the lead for good with a pair of runs in the third quarter as they went on for the 83-69 win.

Shea Coker led four LMU players in double figures as she had 20 points. Qua Hines had 15, Emily Griffith added in 11 and Ross Mathis chipped in 10 points. Meg Essex had 34 points, and Samara Hill scored 10.
 
SCOUTING NEWBERRY
· The Wolves are currently 9-1 overall and 3-0 in SAC play. Their only loss thus far was to King, although they also needed a buzzer-beater to defeat Benedict and narrowly escaped North Greenville on a free throw with 0.3 seconds left.

· Meg Essex leads the team and the SAC in scoring, averaging 18.2 points a game. She also leads the team in rebounding (ranking third in the SAC), turnovers (ranking fourth in the SAC), and blocks (ranking second in the SAC). Regan McCarty and Shelby Britten are each averaging 14.3 points a game.

· As a team, the Wolves are outscoring by their opponents by a 74.3-64.8 points a game margin. They are out-rebounding their opponents by a 10.9 rebound per game average. They also average 20.3 turnovers a game.

· Newberry leads the SAC in made three-pointer, assists per game, blocks per game, and defensive rebounds per game.

· Interim Head Coach Joanna Tincher was an assistant for two seasons before being named the Interim Head Coach back in August. She has previous head coaching experience, leading Converse to an 18-91 record over four seasons. She has a history with LMU as she was an assistant at Alabama-Huntsville during LMU's final few seasons in the Gulf South Conference.
 
SCOUTING LMU
· Head Coach Krystal Evans is in her fifth season at LMU. She has an 83-48 overall record.
 
· LMU is seeing double as both Emily Griffith and her twin sister Rachel currently lead the team in scoring, with Emily narrowly edging out Rachel 14.0 points a game to 13.2. Emily is also averaging 3.9 assists a game while Rachel is averaging 1.8 steals a game. Dasia Maxwell has 9.0 points a game while Sydney Duggins has 8.5 a game.
 
· Shermeria Quarles leads the team in rebounds average-wise with 6.3 a game, while freshman Sydney Newsome has a 5.5 per game average with more actual rebounds in more game appearances.
 
· LMU could definitely be considered a three-point shooting team this year as Sydney Duggins leads the SAC in three-point percentage, hitting 46.9 percent. Lindsay Proffitt is fifth with a 42.3 percentage, Rachel Griffith is 14th and Dasia Maxwell is 15th.
 
· As a team, LMU is averaging 74.5 points a game while holding opponents to 73.3. They are out-rebounding opponents by a margin of +6.0 a game.
 
· LMU leads the SAC in three-point percentage and offensive rebounds per game. They are second in points per game and field goal attempts. They rank third in total rebounds and fourth in points, made field goals and made three-pointers.

 
RECORD WATCH
· POINTS –Emily Griffith ranks 37th with 696 points and trails Karmella Wynne (2001-04) by 59 points. Rachel Griffith isn't far behind at 45th with 629 points.
 
· FIELD GOALS – Emily Griffith is 36th with 262 while Rachel Griffith is tied for 50th. Dasia Maxwell is in 78th place.
 
· THREE-POINTERS – Rachel Griffith ranks 13th in made three pointers with 74 and trails Katrina Ottesen (2013-15) by 15. Sydney Duggins ranks 25th, while Dasia Maxwell is in 39th place. Emily Griffith is in 58th place.
 
· FREE THROWS – Emily Griffith is in 37th place with 156 free throws. She needs two to tie Ninnie Norwood (1990-92). Rachel Griffith is in 42nd place with 127 and Qua Hines is tied for 70th place.

· REBOUNDS – Emily Griffith is 66th with 227 rebounds. She needs one to tie Amberly O'Dell (2008-12) for 65th place. Dasia Maxwell is 83rd, Rachel Griffith is in 93rd place and Cameron DuBose is close behind at 96th. 

· ASSISTS – Emily Griffith is in 23rd place with 182 assists while Rachel is tied for 35th with 143. Dasia Maxwell is in 84th place.
 
· STEALS –Emily Griffith has 119 career steals, placing her at 24th. She needs one to tie Heather Brown (1993-97) and Sara Wood (1998-2002). Rachel Griffith is tied for 34th place with 102.