CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It's always a good feeling to head on the road to your rival's place and come away with a big win. That is exactly what the Lincoln Memorial women's basketball team did, as they closed out the 2021 portion of their schedule on a high note, going to Queens and leaving with a 59-47 victory.
 
LMU could not have asked for a much better start to the game, as the Lady Railsplitters jumped out to a 12-0 lead halfway through the quarter behind two three-pointers from Lindsay Proffitt and one each from Irelynn Davisson and Mikayla Kuehne. The defense continued its strong play all period forcing six turnovers from the Royals and holding Queens to 23% shooting throughout the first 10 minutes of play giving LMU the 17-7 advantage heading into the second.
 
The defense carried over to the start of the second quarter, holding the Royals scoreless for over the first two minutes of action in the period. Shaquala Walton provided a spark off the bench contributing four points and Davisson knocked down another three to keep the offense going for the Lady Railsplitters. Queens would end the half on a 5-0 run including a buzzer beating three to cut the lead down to five heading into the break with LMU up 25-20.
 
Lauren Flowers went off for ten points in the third quarter to help the Lady Railsplitters retake control of the game. The Royals cut their deficit down to one early in the quarter before two three-pointers from Davisson and five points from Flowers helped LMU push the lead back up to double-digits. Flowers hit two free throws and three-pointer of her own in a 30 second span to give LMU a commanding lead and then the defense did the rest, holding Queens scoreless over the last two and half minutes of play in the quarter to take a 46-31 lead after three quarters of play.
 
With a comfortable lead, all Lincoln Memorial had to do in the fourth quarter was take care of the ball, make timely shots, and knock down free throws, and that is exactly what they did. The Lady Railsplitters only had three turnovers in the quarter and knocked down 7-8 free throw attempts. LMU got and-1 layups from Flowers and Lindsay Proffit to preserve the lead and help them come away with the 12-point victory.
 
Three Lady Railsplitters went for double-figures this afternoon, led by Flowers with 15, while also dishing out four assists and added three steals. Irelynn Davisson added 14 points as she shot 4-9 from behind the arc. Mikayla Kuehne was the third in double-figures with 12, while also pulling down 11 rebounds to tally her second double-double of the season. Addi Kirkpatrick was in the starting lineup for the first time this season and was a force on the boards, grabbing five rebounds in only 10 minutes of play. Grace Day provided energy off the bench, grabbing five rebounds and scoring three points. The Lady Railsplitters were sharing the ball all game, assisting on 12 of their 17 made field goals.
 
The Lady Railsplitter defense put together one of their best efforts of the year forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Royals to 30% shooting from the field and only 4% from beyond the arc. LMU outrebounded Queens 43-36 and blocked two shots.
 
 Up Next
 The Lady Railsplitters return to action in the new year on January 1 in Hickory, North Carolina to take on Lenior-Rhyne. Tip-off for that game is set for 2:00 PM. The Lady Railsplitters will return home on January 5th to play Newberry. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.
  
 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.