Wise, VA – #16 Lincoln Memorial women's basketball defeat the UVA Wise Cavaliers Wednesday evening 72-66.

The game started with a battle, as there were four ties throughout the first quarter until Lincoln Memorial's Keiara Anderson made a three with three seconds left to take the lead 22-20. Alexa Smiddy led the first with ten points, as she went 4/6 from the field and 2/3 from beyond the arch.

The second was like the first, with the Lady Railsplitters coming out on top over the Cavaliers 13-12. With the help of Lexi Patty leading with five points and the team forcing UVA Wise to make five turnovers, LMU went into halftime with the 35-32 lead.

The game continued to go back-and-forth, and Wise added 16 points to their score compared to Lincoln Memorial's 15. Despite the increased pressure from the Cavaliers, LMU continued to be in the lead going into the final frame 50-48.

The game was a hard-fought matchup until the final whistle, with Lincoln Memorial not allowing UVA Wise to score the last 3 and a half minutes of the final quarter to outscore the Cavs 22-18. With Patty and Collier leading the fourth with six points each, LMU took the victory 72-66.

Collier led the team in scoring and rebounding with 25 points and 11 rebounds for her 18^th double-double of the season. Alexa Smiddy followed with 16 points, going a perfect 4/4 from the free throw line. Keiara Anderson was behind her with 15 points, shooting 5/8 from beyond the arch, and Patty also scored double-digits with 11 points and a team-high nine assists. Asia Barr finished with three points, and Kallie Housley rounded out the scoring with two points.

As a team, Lincoln Memorial went 45.6% from the field, 38.1% from the three, and 12/16 from the charity stripe.

LMU secured 26 rebounds, scored 34 points in the paint, 20 points off of Wise turnovers, 11 fast break points, six second chance points, and two points off the bench.

With the win, the Lady Railsplitters improve to 23-3 overall and 18-3 in conference play and UVA Wise drops to 15-12 overall and 12-9 in the SAC.

The team will play their regular season finale at home for Senior Day on Saturday, February 28^th as they face Newberry at 2 pm in Tex Turner Arena.