ROCK HILL, S.C. – Advancing to the postseason for the ninth consecutive time, the Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team, despite a three-game losing skid to close the regular season, gains entry into the 2020 South Atlantic Conference Pilot Flying J Women's Basketball Tournament, squeezing in as the No. 8 seed.
 
The Lady Railsplitters, who have advanced to at least the SAC Tournament Semifinals each of the past four seasons, will take on top-seeded and nationally-ranked Anderson University in the quarterfinal round of the league's postseason championship Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. inside the Abney Athletic Center in South Carolina.
 
Wednesday's game will be streamed live via SAC Live, while live statistics of the game can be followed by visiting AUTrojans.com. As usual, in-game updates will be available on LMU Railsplitter athletics' official Twitter account, @LMURailsplitter.
 
Entering Wednesday night with a 10-16 overall record, the Lady Railsplitters coincidentally met the Trojans last Saturday in the 2019-20 regular season finale, falling 75-62 in Tex Turner Arena. In her final Harrogate performance, forward Sydney Newsome led the team with 14 points, while junior Maggie Jachimczuk added 11 more. Storming back from an 18-point late-second half deficit, whittling the lead down to 10 on two occasions in the fourth quarter, LMU couldn't complete the rally, finishing 9-13 in conference play, with a 5-8 record in home contests. That 5-8 record has also been duplicated in LMU's road meetings.
 
Before last weekend's regular season curtain call, Anderson also got the better of LMU in the Palmetto State, picking up a 67-49 victory in January after a tightly-contested opening half. The Trojans have owned the all-time series with the Lady Railsplitters as of late, winning their last five matchups over LMU. The last win for Lincoln Memorial over Anderson occurred on January 3^rd, 2018 in Harrogate, 71-68. The Lady Railsplitters are just 2-9 when facing the Trojans in the Abney Athletic Center, trailing in the series record overall 16-6.
 
Thanks to a five-game winning streak to close out the season, including a win in 10 of their last 11 games, Anderson captured the SAC regular season championship for the second consecutive year. In the 2018-19 campaign, the Trojans ran the table in conference play by going 20-0 in SAC competition on their way to a 30-3 record, claiming the league tournament title in the process. Facing an early exit in the NCAA Southeast Regional Semifinals, however, Anderson has bounced back this season with a 24-4 record in total next to a 19-3 SAC resume.
 
Behind the Trojans as the second-place team in the conference, Carson-Newman landed a 17-5 league record to earn the No. 2 seed in SAC Pilot Flying J Women's Basketball Tournament. Tusculum is the No. 3 seed after posting a 16-6 SAC record while Newberry is the No. 4 seed (13-9), followed by fifth-seeded Catawba, who went 17-5 in the conference, but were forced to nullify eight games due to a violation of NCAA and SAC bylaws. Just ahead of the Lady Railsplitters are the No. 6 seed Wingate (11-11) and seventh-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne (9-13).
 
The 2020 SAC Pilot Flying J Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals are played at campus sites on Wednesday, March 4, before moving to Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, for the semifinals and finals this Friday-Saturday, March 7-8.
 
The SAC Pilot Flying J Tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.
 
Should the Lady Railsplitters be victorious in Wednesday night's quarterfinal contest, LMU will take on the winner of fourth-seeded Newberry and No. 5 seed Catawba Saturday at 12 p.m. in Greenville, South Carolina, for a spot in the 2020 SAC Pilot Flying J Women's Basketball Tournament title game Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m. inside Timmons Arena.
 
2020 SAC Pilot Flying J Women's Basketball Tournament
 
Wednesday, March 4 (at Highest Seeds)
Game 1: #1 Anderson vs. #8 Lincoln Memorial, 7:00 p.m. | Abney Athletic Center | Anderson, S.C.
Game 2: #4 Newberry vs. #5 Catawba, 7:00 p.m.
Game 3: #2 Carson-Newman vs. #7 Lenoir-Rhyne, 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: #3 Tusculum vs. #6 Wingate, 5:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, March 7 (Timmons Arena, Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 12:00 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 2:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 8 (Timmons Arena, Greenville, S.C.)
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 1:00 p.m.
 
TICKET SALES
Semifinal and finals tickets are available for sale at the Timmons Arena box office, while tickets for Wednesday's quarterfinal game at Abney Athletic Center can be purchased at the gate. Contact the Timmons Arena box office at (864) 294-3099 with any questions. Listed below are the ticket prices. Daily tickets grant access to all of the given day's games.
 
Quarterfinal Individual Daily Tickets
Adults - $8.00 per day
Youth-12 and under/Seniors 65 + - $4.00 per day
Active & Retired Military - $4.00 per day
College Students with college ID - $2.00 per day
Under 5 years of age - Free
 
Semifinals and Finals Daily Tickets
Semifinals: Adult - $15.00
Youth - 12 and under/Senior 65+/College Student with college ID/Active & Retired Military - $8.00
Finals: Adult - $12.00
Youth - 12 and under/Senior 65+/College Student with college ID/Active & Retired Military - $6.00
Under 5 years of age - Free semifinals and finals
 
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 complete coverage of Lady Railsplitter basketball throughout the 2019-20 season.