NEWBERRY, S.C. – Following a lengthy 13-day break for Christmas, the third-ranked Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team returns to the hardwood for competition Saturday afternoon in the Palmetto State, facing Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference action. Tip-off from inside Eleazer Arena is slated for 4 p.m. in Newberry, South Carolina, as the Railsplitters (12-1, 5-0) look to extend the nation's longest win streak and remain perfect in league play. The Wolves have gone 7-4 thus far this season and enter the weekend with a 3-2 conference record.
 
How to Follow
Saturday afternoon's road tilt will be streamed live via SAC Live on Stretch Internet, while live statistics of the matchup can be followed by visiting NewberryWolves.com. As usual, in-game updates will be available on LMU Railsplitter athletics' official Twitter account, @LMURailsplitter.
 
Opening Tip
- Currently at 12 games after dropping their season opener to No. 5 West Texas A&M in the fourth annual Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the Railsplitters own the longest win streak in all of NCAA Division II basketball. The 12-game winning streak is LMU's longest since the 2017-18 season.
- Going for their sixth-straight victory over Newberry, the Railsplitters have won each of their previous nine meetings with the Wolves in Newberry. LMU has not lost a true road game to the Wolves since Feb. 27, 2010.
- Holing a 22-7 record in the series all-time, the Railsplitters have claimed victories in 12 of the last 14 meetings and 18 of the last 20.
- Last season, LMU defeated Newberry by six (91-85) on the road after earning a 115-84 triumph in Harrogate. The Railsplitters also reached 115 points against the Wolves two seasons ago with a 117-95 win inside Tex Turner Arena.
- LMU's last three trips to Newberry have resulted in tightly-contested affairs with the Railsplitters earning wins by six, four and seven points, respectively.
- The No. 3 national ranking is LMU's highest since completing 2017-18 as the top team in the country and marks the 44th week the Railsplitters have been ranked in the top five in the nation.
- LMU is also ranked sixth in the most current D2SIDA Media Poll, which was released Dec. 17, and is the top team in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region after receiving all first-place votes for the fourth consecutive week in the latest D2SIDA Southeast Regional Poll (Dec. 16).
- Defeating their opponents by an average of 25.7 points per game, the Railsplitters own the fourth-highest scoring margin in the land and are tied for the third-most wins in the nation.
- The Blue and Gray lead the country in field-goal percentage defense (37.1%), are ranked ninth in scoring (93.7 PPG) and are fourth in shooting (52.3%).
 
Henry's Heroics
Completing LMU's non-conference schedule, the Railsplitters escaped Owensboro, Kentucky, with a two-point road win at Kentucky Wesleyan thanks to redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Henry's late-game heroics. In a game that saw 14 lead changes and six ties, the eight-time national champion Panthers controlled the majority of the affair and led by as much as six in the second half. LMU was able to overcome a 32-29 rebounding deficit and a 40-9 point differential off the bench, getting consecutive baskets from sophomore guard Courvoisier McCauley and then seven-straight points from redshirt junior guard Devin Whitfield in the closing minutes to earn its first-ever win over Kentucky Wesleyan inside the Owensboro Sportscenter. After the Panthers came back from 75-69 down with 2:14 remaining and tied up the score at 75 with a pair of free throws, the Railsplitters had 14 seconds to attempt a game-winning shot. McCauley came up short on a step-back three pointer with four seconds remaining, but Henry grabbed the miss and laid it in with just a couple seconds left for the thrilling 77-75 victory.
 
McCauley as Player of the Week
Prior to the Christmas break, McCauley became the second Railsplitter to be named SAC AstroTurf Player of the Week on Monday, Dec. 23. The 6-foot-5 swingman had his most impressive outing of his collegiate career Wednesday, Dec. 18 by scoring a career-high 44 points in the home win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Going 17-for-25 from the field and 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, McCauley's 44 points were the most scored by an LMU player in a single game in the program's NCAA era and the most since Nick Sanford also scored 44 against Saint Michael's in 1987. Furthermore, his 44 points tied for the seventh-most in a single game in Railsplitter history. McCauley pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds and dished out four assists to help LMU defeat the Bears, before notching 14 points and making a steal in the narrow win at Kentucky Wesleyan. The Indianapolis native averaged 29 points on 61.1 percent (22-of-36) shooting, including 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from three-point distance, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the week. Ranking among national leaders in several statistical categories McCauley is sixth in the nation in three pointers made (48), 14th in points (279), 15th in three pointers per game (3.7), 20th in both field goals made (97) and three pointers attempted (104), 24th in both three-point percentage (46.2%) and field goal attempts (196), and 30th in scoring (21.5 PPG). Whitfield was also tabbed SAC AstroTurf Player of the Week on Nov. 25.
 
Distance from the Rest
Eight of the Railsplitters' 12 victories thus far have come in dominant fashion. Owning an astounding seven wins by at least 31 points and eight by 20 or more, LMU has outscored its competition by 334 points through just 13 games. On Dec. 15, the Railsplitters defeated visiting NAIA member Tennessee Wesleyan by 60 points (122-62) for its largest margin of victory since pummeling Mars Hill by 87 (156-69) in December of 2017. LMU has notched wins of 60, 50, 47, 40, 37, 32, 31 and 20 points. During their 12-game win streak, the Railsplitters have defeated their opponents by an impressive average of 28.7 points.
 
Among Statistical Leaders
In addition to ranking in the top 10 in defensive field-goal percentage, scoring margin, shooting and scoring, LMU is among the top teams in the nation in several other offensive and defensive statistical categories. The Railsplitters are second nationally in defensive rebounds per game (33.3), third in assists (265), sixth in assists per game (20.4), 10th in free-throw percentage (80.7), 15th in three pointers made (145), 18th in both three-point shooting (40.5%) and assist/turnover ratio (1.52), 20th in three pointers per game (11.2), 22nd in three-point field goal defense (29.3%), 24th in total rebounds (522), 26th in steals (117) and 30th in steals per game (9.0).
 
Whitfield a 1,000-Point Scorer
It took redshirt junior guard Devin Whitfield just five games to get acclimated into head coach Josh Schertz' offensive system after transferring to Harrogate from fellow Division II member Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville and sitting out the 2018-19 season. The 6-foot-5 wingman has reached double-figure scoring in seven of his last nine games and eight times total this season. Racking up a season-high 31 points in LMU's 37-point road rout of Wingate on Nov. 23, Whitfield has scored 20 points or more on six different occasions. At Kentucky Wesleyan, the Lipscomb, Alabama, native posted 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting and claimed a season-best eight rebounds. He currently ranks 12th in the nation and leads the SAC in free-throw percentage (91.7%) among those who meet NCAA minimums. After scoring a remarkable 907 points in two seasons at Trevecca Nazarene, Whitfield scored his 1,000th career point during the win at Wingate. Whitfield has amassed an astonishing 1,124 points in only 64 collegiate games played.
 
Decade of Excellence
Closing the books on one of the best decades of basketball among all NCAA levels, LMU achieved unheralded success from 2010 until the start of 2020 Wednesday. Below are some of the Railsplitters' biggest accomplishments.

• 254-50 (.836) overall record
• 148-13 (.919) record inside Tex Turner Arena
• 174-28 (.861) SAC record
• 11 SAC titles, including seven regular season championships (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and four SAC Tournament titles (2011, 2014, 2016, 2018)
• Eight-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2011-18)
• Two Elite Eight appearances (2016 and 2017)
• Two national semifinal appearances (2016 and 2017)
• One NCAA title game appearance (2016)
• Eight All-Americans (Emanuel Terry, 2018; Dorian Pinson, 2018; Chris Perry, 2017; Luquon Choice, 2017; Gerel Simmons, 2016; Lorenza Ross, 2015; Vincent Bailey, 2014; Desmond Johnson, 2011)
• 37 All-SAC selections with 18 first-team picks

 
Standard of Success
LMU has finished within the top two of the final SAC standings each of the last nine years, spent 95-straight weeks in the national rankings from December 2010 to December 2016 and completed the season as the top team in the country in two of the last four seasons. The Railsplitters are one of only four Division II programs to have posted 20 wins or more for 10 consecutive years. Only West Liberty (15), Bellarmine (11) and Indiana Pa. (11) can say the same. The Railsplitters have also reached the NCAA Tournament eight of the last nine seasons.
 
Coach Schertz Among the Elite
Since taking over the LMU men's basketball program in March of 2008, head coach Josh Schertz has amassed a remarkable 298-65 (.821) record over 12 seasons. Entering the 2019-20 season, Schertz' career winning percentage (.817) was the fifth-highest of all head coaches in college basketball history at any NCAA level. Furthermore, Schertz ranks third among active head coaches with at least 10 years at the helm - Jim Crutchfield, Nova Southeastern (.845) and Mark Few, Gonzaga (.826) - and owns the second-highest winning percentage among Division II leaders.
 
Newberry | 2019-20 Record: 7-4, 3-2 SAC

• Picked to finish ninth in the 12-team SAC during the preseason, the Wolves are currently tied for fifth with a 3-2 league record.
• Newberry went 5-15 in the conference a year ago, finishing ninth in the SAC with a 10-18 overall record.
• Led by first-year head coach Jason Taylor, the Wolves feature preseason All-SAC Second Team selection Angelo Sales, Jr. The 6-foot-5 senior forward, who gained All-SAC honorable mention recognition last season, leads the team in scoring (15.8 PPG) and rebounding (9.6 RPG) while sophomore guard TJ Brown is averaging 14.5 points. Senior guard Marshall Lange leads Newberry in assists (2.6 APG) and is near double figures in scoring (9.5 PPG).
• Sales, Jr. ranks among the nation's top 50 rebounders as the Wolves are 19th nationally and second in the SAC in rebound margin (8.3).
• Newberry has won each of its last two conference games, defeating UVa-Wise in Virginia (73-67) on Dec. 14 and taking down Anderson (76-67) at home on Dec. 11. The Wolves also earned a 91-84 league win at Catawba (Nov. 26), but have dropped SAC contests at Mars Hill (80-70) and versus Tusculum (65-61).
• The Friday prior to Christmas (Dec. 20), Newberry stepped out of conference action at West Alabama where it suffered a 69-53 setback. The Wolves have not seen the court for game action in 15 days.

 
Looking Ahead
The Railsplitters will return to the comforts of Harrogate where they will enjoy a three-game homestand beginning with UVa-Wise next Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tip-off from inside Tex Turner Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. with the game sponsored by Powell Valley National Bank. Next weekend, LMU will host Catawba Saturday, Jan. 11 before welcoming Mars Hill Wednesday, Jan. 15.
 
LMU L-Club
All LMU L-Club members receive basketball season tickets with premium seating available through silver and platinum memberships. Additional membership benefits include discounts at community partner locations, exclusive e-mail communications, VIP basketball parking and Tex Turner Arena hospitality room access. Become an LMU L-Club member today by visiting LMURailsplitters.com.  
 
On Social
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter basketball throughout the 2019-20 season.