HARROGATE, Tenn. – The LMU women's basketball team hits the road to close out the regular season and to try to grab a spot in the top four of the South Atlantic Conference standings before the upcoming SAC Tournament. First up, a battle of Abe Lincoln vs. Andrew Johnson as they travel to face Tusculum Wednesday evening.

LMU is currently 15-11 overall and 10-8 in SAC play following their 70-69 come-from-behind win over Catawba Saturday afternoon. They are currently in fifth place in the SAC standings, one game behind Tusculum. LMU won the earlier meeting in Harrogate.

The teams had traded leads all game before Catawba pulled out to a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. LMU cut the lead to 66-65 following a steal and a basket from Emily Griffith. On the next possession, Catawba's Talia Barnes hit the driving layup and was fouled. She hit the free throw to put the Indians ahead 69-65.

After a timeout to advance the ball, Rachel Griffith inbounded to ball to Emily in the right corner, and Emily then drove it in for the basket and the foul. After hitting the free throw to make the score 69-68, LMU pressed in the backcourt and Madison Hallman attempted a long pass that was intercepted by Emily at midcourt for the easy fast break layup and the 70-69 lead.  Catawba missed their next shot, but an LMU turnover gave them a final chance. Hallman then took the ball on the inbounds, drove into the paint and made a short pull-up jump shot that bounced off the rim into the hands of LMU's Shermeria Quarles as time expired.

On Senior Day, the seniors led the way. Emily Griffith, who scored the final seven points of the game and all five points of the comeback, led LMU with 15 points. Rachel Griffith had 11 points four assists while Dasia Maxwell chipped in 10 points.
Barnes led the way for the Catawba Indians with 15 points.

Following this game, LMU will close out the regular season in Hickory, North Carolina, when they face Lenoir-Rhyne next Saturday.
 
SERIES HISTORY
· LMU leads the series 44-29. This is the second-longest series for LMU, behind Carson-Newman, and apart from 1992-96 the two have played every season since 1977-78. LMU is 26-11 vs. the Pioneers in Harrogate and 16-7 in the Turner Arena. In Greeneville, LMU is 18-18 all-time and 10-12 in Pioneer Arena, which saw action for the first time when they hosted LMU on Jan. 14, 1998.

· The Pioneers had a pretty dominant women's basketball team back in the 1920s, but for whatever reason they never played LMU during that stretch. The Tusculum teams of that era did have one effect on LMU as Hugh Trent Ramsey, who coached LMU from 1929-42 and is in the LMU Athletes' Hall of Fame, was a 1923 graduate of Tusculum and a standout on their men's basketball team.

· In their last meeting, on Feb. Jan. 23 in Harrogate, LMU rolled out to a 15-point first quarter lead, but a furious comeback by Tusculum on the back of 13 three pointers made the game a real slugfest down the stretch, as the Pioneers took a 75-74 lead with 4.3 seconds left. After a timeout to advance the ball, Sydney Newsome found Emily Griffith open and Griffith was fouled with 2.2 seconds left. She coldly drilled both free throws to give LMU the 76-75 lead and the win. Emily led the team with 21 points, while Rachel chipped in 18 points. Kendrea Duke led TU with 16 points.

· This will be LMU's first appearance in Pioneer Arena in over a calendar year as they last played at Tusculum on Nov. 29, 2017. It was a very fast-paced game that saw the Pioneers take an early lead, only to see LMU come back early in the second quarter to take the lead. The lead then see-sawed for a while until Tusculum went up by 10 late. LMU stormed back in the final period from 10 points down to cut the lead to 74-72 with a little over a minute left, but they missed three shots down the stretch and the Pioneers sealed the win with two free throws to claim the 76-72 win.
 
Emily Griffith and Shea Coker both led LMU with 18 points apiece, while Rachel Griffith and Karsen Sims each chipped in 10 points. Emily Griffith also led the Lady Railsplitters in rebounds with seven, followed by Addi Kirkpatrick with six. Coker and Dasia Maxwell pulled down five rebounds each. Mia Long led the Pioneers with 23 points, while Martoria Patton chipped in 14 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING TUSCULUM
· The Pioneers come into the game with a 19-7 current overall record and an 11-7 SAC record.

· Mia Long leads the team in scoring with a 12.2 points per game average. She also leads the team in assists (3.4) and steals (4.1). She leads the SAC in steals and is eighth in assists.

· Yolizma Cupidan is averaging 11.6 points a game, Callie Patterson 11.0 and Kendrea Duke 10.5.

· Duke also leads the team in rebounds with an average of 6.5 per game.

· The Pioneers do have a local player on the roster in Brittany Cupp, who is from LaFollette. She is currently averaging 0.7 points and 1.7 rebounds a game.

· As a team, Tusculum are outscoring their opponents by a 70.0-to-55.3 points per game margin but are out-rebounded by their opponents by +4.0 a game. They are forcing their opponents to commit 23.8 turnovers a game.

· Tusculum leads the SAC in steals per game and three-point attempts a game, as well as in points per game allowed and opponents' three-point percentage.
 
SCOUTING LMU
· Head Coach Krystal Evans is in her fifth season at LMU. She has a 92-54 overall record.
 
· Emily Griffith and her twin sister Rachel currently lead the team in scoring, with Emily edging out Rachel 16.6 points a game to 14.2. In the SAC, Emily ranks fourth in scoring, fifth in assists and points per game, and third in made field goals while Rachel is eighth in scoring, sixth in assists, seventh in assist to turnover ratio, eleventh in steals, and third in made free throws. Sydney Newsome has 8.4 points a game, while Lindsay Proffitt has 7.0 and Dasia Maxwell have 6.9.
 
· Rebounding is a team effort this season as Newsome leads the team in rebounds with 5.3 a game, followed closely by Maggie Jachimczuk's 5.2 per game average. Dasia Maxwell (4.1) and Emily Griffith (4.0 per game) are not far behind while Addi Kirkpatrick has a 3.6 rebounds a game average.  
 
· Emily Griffith leads the team with 3.5 assists a game, followed closely by Rachel with 3.3.

· The twins are also identical in steals, with Rachel and Emily averaging 1.8 steals a game apiece. Newsome and Maxwell have 1.4 a game each.
 
· LMU has three of the top 18 three-point shooters in the SAC, as Lindsay Proffitt lead the SAC with 44.9 percent and Sydney Duggins is second with 43.6 percent. The two have flip-flopped first and second in the conference for most of the season, and now Proffitt is back at the top. Rachel Griffith is 18th.
 
· As a team, LMU is averaging 74.9 points a game while holding opponents to 71.7. They are out-rebounding opponents by a margin of +5.4 a game.
 
· LMU leads the SAC in made free throws a game and offensive rebounds per game. They are second in three-point percentage, field goal attempts, free throw attempts and total rebounds per game. They rank third in points, points per game, rebound margin, and made field goals per game; and rank fourth in steals per game, fifth in free throw percentage and sixth in assists per game.
 
RECORD WATCH
· POINTS – Emily Griffith currently ranks 21st in scoring as she has 974 points, tying her with Jennifer Childs (1999-03). She is eight points behind 20th ranked Monica Owens and 53 behind no. 19 Nickie Snow's (1984-88) 1,027 points. Rachel Griffith isn't far behind at 30th with 853 points.
 
· FIELD GOALS – Emily Griffith is 23rd with 371 while Rachel Griffith is 34th. Dasia Maxwell is in 67th place.
 
· THREE-POINTERS – Rachel Griffith ranks 11th in made three pointers with 96 and trails Ashley Cox (1998-02) by six. Sydney Duggins ranks 22nd, while Dasia Maxwell is in 28th place. Emily Griffith is in 49th place.
 
· FREE THROWS – Emily Griffith is in 19th place with 211 free throws. She needs eight to tie Robin Cox (1992-96). Rachel Griffith is in 23rd place with 195.
 
· REBOUNDS – Emily Griffith is ranked 51st with 281 rebounds. She needs one to tie Whitney Holmes (2009-11) for 50th place. Dasia Maxwell is 59th, while Cameryn DuBose is in 78th place and Rachel Griffith ranks 79th. 

· ASSISTS – Emily Griffith is in 17th place with 231 assists. She needs 32 to tie Chasity Williams (2002-06) for 16th. Rachel Griffith is 22nd with 198. Dasia Maxwell is in 70th place and Sydney Newsome is 94th.

· BLOCKS – Emily Griffith is tied for 23rd with 39 career blocks with Cena Nasiloski (2008-10), six blocks (and five spots) ahead of teammate and fellow senior Dasia Maxwell. Cameryn DuBose is in 34th place and Rachel Griffith ranks 58th.
 
· STEALS – Emily Griffith has 149 career steals, placing her at 14th. She needs two to tie Lorie Compton (1983-87). Rachel Griffith is in 19th place with 128.