MARS HILL, N.C. – It doesn't matter who the opponent is, heading on the road in conference is always going to be a tough game. That was true for the Lincoln Memorial women's basketball team as they traveled to North Carolina to face Mars Hill. The Lady Railsplitters battled all game long, but ultimately fell to the Lions 61-59.
 
The Lady Railsplitters were hot from behind the arc in the first quarter, knocking down five three-pointers. Lindsay Proffitt paced LMU in the quarter with eight points, including two three-pointers. Irelynn Davisson, Lauren Flowers, and Mikayla Keuhne all knocked down threes as well to give the Lady Railsplitters a 19-15 lead at the end of the first period.
 
LMU got three-pointers from Proffitt and Flowers to start the second quarter to increase their lead to nine. The Lions battled back with a 9-0 run to tie the game midway through the quarter. From there both teams traded buckets and neither was able to get a lead bigger than three points. A layup from Grace Day with 21 seconds remaining in the half gave LMU the 32-31 lead heading into the break.
 
The third quarter was more of the same, with neither team holding more than a four-point lead. Davisson drilled two more three-pointers for the Lady Railsplitters, while Addi Kirkpatrick gave a boost off the bench with four points in the quarter. The Lions, however, scored the final five points of the period to take a 50-46 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
 
Mars Hill scored the first basket of the quarter to increase their lead up to six. LMU responded with an 8-0 run to retake the lead 54-52 with less than four minutes to play. The Lions came back to tie the game at 56. Mars Hill would hit a three to retake the lead, but Lauren Flowers answered with an and-1 layup to again tie the game. The Lions came back down and knocked down two free throws with seven seconds left to retake the lead. LMU came down but were unable to get a shot off, giving the Lions a 61-59 victory.
 
Three Lady Railsplitters scored in double-figures, led by Flowers with a season-high 19 points, Davisson added 14 and Proffitt contributed 13. Geovana Rios was a force on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds, while Flowers and Davisson both grabbed six rebounds apiece. LMU grabbed 11 offensive rebounds which led to 15 second-chance points.
 
 Up Next
 The Lady Railsplitters return home on Wednesday to continue SAC play as they welcome in UVA Wise. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM in Harrogate, Tennessee.
  
 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.