HARROGATE, Tenn. - Despite one of their most productive offensive performances of the year and a season-high-matching 27-point fourth quarter, the Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team couldn't slow down a Newberry offense that was just as potent, dropping an 80-71 decision to the Wolves inside Tex Turner Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Railsplitters (9-13, 8-10) shot the ball at a 42.9% clip for the entire game, including a near 53% mark for the second half, although the visitors were just as efficient at 43% next to 11 triples to achieve a season sweep over LMU.

Lincoln Memorial was able to hold a slim 16-14 advantage at the end of the first in Harrogate, but a slight lull over the next two quarters allowed Newberry (14-9, 11-7), to steadily build a 54-44 cushion with 10 minutes remaining.

Even though the Lady Railsplitters made up their lost ground by accounting for 27 points in the final frame, they were only able to outdo the Wolves by a single point collectively, taking the nine-point defeat as a result.

LMU was led by a team-best 16 points from redshirt-sophomore Sydney Newsome, along with 13 more by true sophomore Lindsey Proffitt. Lexi Kiser, Lauren Flowers, and Addi Kirkpatrick each added 12, 11, and 10 more respectively, although the defensive statistics where the Lady Railsplitters normally thrive were what proved the most costly down the stretch.

Closing the opening quarter on a 10-3 scoring run, capped off by a Newsome three-pointer with just seven ticks on the clock, Lincoln Memorial was able to grab a tight two-point lead. The majority of the next frame was very inconsistent for both sides, eventually swinging towards a five-point advantage for Newberry entering the intermission.

Consecutive long-balls from Kelsey McDermott and Courtney Virgo four minutes into the second stanza provided the Wolves with a three-point lead they would cling to for the rest of the game. McDermott led all scorers with 22 points and five rebounds in the victory, while Virgo contributed 10 to go with four assists.

Two straight field goals from Kirkpatrick near the two-minute mark of the second whittled the lead down to 32-29, with another late-quarter make sending LMU into the locker room with some momentum. This time, it was Proffitt who scored underneath with 11 seconds left in the half.

Just over four minutes into the third period, Proffitt drilled a right wing three-ball to get within one at 38-37. However, the next nine points all went to the Wolves, by virtue of a trio of three's from Virgo, McDermott, and Keli Romas to give Newberry their first double-digit lead of the day.

From that point, LMU was caught playing catch-up for the second straight game, and while the comeback rally was completed on Wednesday at UVA-Wise, it ultimately fell short this time around.

In fact, the Lady Railsplitters mirrored their 27-point fourth quarter from three nights earlier against Newberry, but lacked the defensive aggression that powered them to the win over the Cavaliers. Falling behind by their largest margin of 13 at the 8:08 mark of the fourth on a mid-range jumper from Romas, LMU would only climb within single digits of the lead once, occurring on a fast-break layup at the buzzer when it was too late.

Turnovers and rebounding were the Lady Railsplitters' Achilles heel in the loss, coughing up the basketball 18 times in total which led to 14 points in the opposite direction. Newberry grasped a 39-32 edge on the glass, with 18 of those boards coming on the offensive end, amounting to 13 second-chance points.

Bested 24-20 in the painted area while giving up 18 assists to the Wolves, Lincoln Memorial sits in 6^th place across the latest South Atlantic Conference standings, having beaten the team they're tied with for that slot, Wingate, on both occasions this season.
 
Up Next
 
LMU hits the road twice more with just four dates left on the regular season schedule, heading to the Tar Heel State Wednesday and next Saturday. The Lions of Mars Hill University await the Lady Railsplitters for a 5:30 tip-off Wednesday from Stanford Arena. Lincoln Memorial crushed MH in Harrogate back on January 15^th, 76-47.
 
How to Follow
 
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms —@LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram — for more LMU women's basketball coverage for the 2019-20 season.