GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Lincoln Memorial University placed four players in double figures and withstood a fourth-quarter run from Tusculum University as the Railsplitters defeated the Pioneers 63-52 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena.

Alex Smiddy finished with 19 points and Saquita Joyner and Jordan Maney each recorded double-doubles for the Railsplitters (13-6, 6-4 SAC), who won for the eighth time in 10 games and avenged a 67-38 loss to the Pioneers at home on Dec. 3 despite shooting 8-for-20 (40 percent) from the foul line. Lauren Flowers added 14 points for LMU, which led by 19 points midway through the third quarter before Tusculum rallied to within four in the fourth.

Jami Tham posted her 20th consecutive double-double for the Pioneers (16-4, 7-3 SAC), finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Blayre Shultz added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. However, Tusculum was outrebounded 48-38 by Lincoln Memorial, with the Railsplitters collecting eight of their 15 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers' 52 points were a season low and came on 34.5 percent shooting (20-for-58), which included 5-for-21 from three-point range, as Tusculum took its first home loss of the season following nine victories.

Maney had 17 points and 12 rebounds along with three assists and three steals for Lincoln Memorial and Joyner added 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Railsplitters had four of their five starters play all 40 minutes but never trailed after ending the first quarter tied at 14. Smiddy was just 6-for-20 from the field and 3-for-12 from three-point range for the Railsplitters, who went 9-for-30 (30 percent) from long range and 23-for-65 (35.4 percent) overall in the game.

Tham's double-double moved her into third place on the Division II list of consecutive games with a double-double, trailing only the 24 straight set by Vanessa Wilt of Cal State-San Bernardino in 2007-08 and equaled by Jamiyah Johnson of Davis & Elkins in 2019-20. Tham also became the 18th active Division II player with 1,500 career points (now at 1,513) and the third active DII player with 1,100 career rebounds (now at 1,106).

Tusculum led just three times in the game, the last at 8-7 following a layup by Sophie Henry with 4:31 left in the first quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Flowers would put the Railsplitters on top 13-8 with 3:21 to go in the quarter, but a layup by Shultz with 1:08 to play tied the game at 14-14 after one quarter.

Lincoln Memorial scored the first seven points of the second quarter on baskets by Maney and Flowers and a three-pointer by Smiddy, but a three-pointer from Tham cut the Railsplitters' lead to 22-19 with 5:10 left in the half. LMU would then go on a 9-2 run to go ahead 31-21 on a three-pointer by Maney with 50 seconds left in the half, and Smiddy would drill a three just before the buzzer to send the Railsplitters to the locker room with a 34-23 lead.

Tham led the Pioneers with 11 points and six rebounds on 5-for-10 shooting in the first half while Shultz had eight points, but the Pioneers shot just 1-for-10 from three-point range and 29.4 percent (10-for-34) overall in the half. Maney had game highs of 12 points and seven rebounds for the Railsplitters, while Flowers had nine points and Smiddy added eight as part of 43.3 percent shooting (13-for-30) from the field.

Back-to-back buckets by Tham to start the third quarter cut the Lincoln Memorial lead to 34-27, but the Railsplitters would go on a 12-0 run that included three-pointers from Maney and Smiddy and a layup by Joyner that gave LMU its largest lead at 46-27 with 5:14 left in the third quarter. Tusculum trailed 48-32 with 1:54 left in the quarter but scored five straight on a three-pointer from Mya Belton and two foul shots from Shultz to move within 48-37 after three quarters.

Deidre Cheremond hit a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter as the Pioneers moved within 48-40, and Tusculum would cut the deficit to 50-46 on two foul shots by Tham with 6:19 to go. However, Joyner would hit a putback and a three-pointer and then hit Smiddy for a bucket to push the Railsplitters back up 57-46 with 3:35 left. A three-pointer by Shultz with just under a minute left brought the Pioneers within five at 57-52 while Lincoln Memorial was missing 10-of-12 at the foul line over a stretch of 40 seconds. Smiddy would then go 4-for-4 at the line in the final 25 seconds to set the final score.

Belton finished with five points and seven rebounds along with two blocked shots before fouling out in the final minute for the Pioneers. Henry had four points, five rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes while Cheremond tallied eight points, four rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes in her second start of the season.

Tusculum finished the game with 11 turnovers which Lincoln Memorial converted into 13 points, while the Railsplitters had just nine turnovers which turned into eight points for the Pioneers. Both teams had 13 fast-break points while the only bench points for either team came on a three-pointer from Tusculum's Jenna Kallenberg midway through the third quarter.

The Pioneers will remain home to take on Limestone on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. The Saints (10-9, 5-4 SAC) were idle on Wednesday after beating UVA Wise 85-68 on Saturday, and will look for a sweep of the season series following a 68-59 double-overtime win at home on Jan. 4.