HARROGATE, TENN. – The Lincoln Memorial women's basketball team put together their most impressive performance of the year dominating Coker 73-42 to pick up the first SAC win of the year. Four Lady Railsplitters scored in double-figures, and the Cobras were never within 10 points after the middle of the first quarter.

The Lady Railsplitters controlled the game from the very start, as they went on a 14-2 run to start the game, highlighted by two straight threes by Irelynn Davisson and one each by Lindsay Proffitt and Geovana Rios. Davisson and Proffitt would each add one more three-pointer in the quarter to give LMU a commanding 25-12 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes of play. Davisson led all scorers with nine points, while Proffitt had six as the Lady Railsplitters shot 47% from the field and 67% from three in the quarter.

"We got off to a strong start, and that was the important piece of today's game," head coach Devan Carter said. "Our girls came out ready to play today."

The second quarter belonged to Mikayla Kuehne as she scored 12 of LMU's 18 second quarter points, knocking down two three-pointers and shooting 4-6 from the field. LMU ended the quarter on a 7-0 run started by another Davisson three and ending with four straight points from Kuehne to give the Lady Railsplitters a 43-22 lead at the break.

Both defenses stepped up in the third quarter, with each team only scoring nine points in the period. The Lady Railsplitters held the Cobras to only 26% shooting in the quarter and forced four turnovers. Shaquala Walton knocked down a three-pointer and the Lady Railsplitters scored the final four points of the quarter to take a 52-31 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Coker started the fourth quarter hot, cutting the LMU lead down to 16, but the Lady Railsplitters answered right back with a 15-2 scoring run to bring their lead up to 29. Lauren Flowers paced the offense with seven points in the quarter, including two three-pointers. The defense buckled down during the scoring run and caused six turnovers in the quarter to shut down any hope for a Cobra comeback.  

The Lady Railsplitters shot 42% from the field throughout the game and 43% from behind the arc. The 13 three-pointers made by LMU was the most they had made in a game all season. The bench came up huge, outscoring the Cobra bench 27-14, with Flowers and Walton combining for 20 of those.

The defense was stifling all game, holding Coker to 35% shooting and 17% from behind the arc, all while forcing 23 turnovers. The 23 Cobra turnovers led the 35 Lady Railsplitter points. Proffitt led the defense with three steals, while Flowers contributed two of her own. The 42 points allowed was the fewest allowed by the Lady Railsplitters all season.

"Our defense was big for us today. We found ways to get deflections and get them to turn the ball over," remarked Carter. "Our guards did a great job pressuring the ball, and we were able to capitalize off the turnovers."

Four Lady Railsplitters scored in double-figures this afternoon paced by Davisson's 14. Kuehne scored 12 of her own, while Flowers scored 11 off the bench, and Proffitt had 10. Geovana Rios was all over the court scoring six points, pulling down a team-high seven rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Proffitt added five assists of her own, while Kuehne and Flowers both dished out four apiece. Addi Kirkpatrick came off the bench to pull down four rebounds and blocked two shots.

"The balance to our offense was big tonight, and it gave some kids some confidence moving forward," Carter stated. "Lauren Flowers played her best game of the year, and gave us much-needed energy, and Mikayla Kuehne got us off to a great start. This game is something we will use to build off of moving forward."

 Up Next
 The Lady Railsplitters go on the road for a non-conference game against Emory & Henry on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM in Emory, Virginia. The Lady Railsplitters return to SAC play next Saturday as they stay on the road to battle Tusculum.
  
 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 2021-22 season.