HARROGATE, Tenn. — In a defensive struggle that saw the two teams combine for only 79 points, the Lincoln Memorial University women’s basketball team outlasted the Winston Salem State Rams 41-38 in nonconference action Tuesday. With the triumph, the Lady Railsplitters improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Rams sink to 1-2.

Despite leading by as many as 12 in the second half, the Lady Railsplitters found themselves square at with the Rams 36-36 with just under three minutes remaining in regulation. With 1:40 left on the clock, senior Ralissa Nelson drilled her third 3-pointer of the contest to put Lincoln Memorial out to a 39-36 advantage.

On the ensuing possession for Winston Salem State, the Lady Railsplitters forced a missed jumper and Britney Guy corralled the rebound. She was quickly fouled following the board and coolly drained a pair of free throws to give LMU a 41-36 lead with 1:12 left to play.

The Rams would score on a jumper by Taylar Wells in the next possession, however, they came up empty on a game-tying three-point attempt in the waning seconds, as the Lady Railsplitters held on for a 41-38 victory.

Ralissa Nelson paced the Lady Railsplitters with nine points on 3-8 shooting from behind the arc including the game-clinching trey down the closing stretch. Nelson added four rebounds.

MaRanda Boddie, Mariah Richardson and Kelsey Bradford tallied six points apiece for Lincoln Memorial. Boddie also matched a team-high figure with six boards. Kalasia Green was the other Lady Railsplitter to grab six boards in the contest. Edina Musa paired a five-rebound performance with two points.

The Lady Railsplitters were limited to 34-percent shooting in the contest but countered by holding Winston Salem State to 27.5-percent.

Dionna Scott headlined the scoring for the Rams with nine points, while Jovonah Graham chipped in with eight points. Somolia McKenney led all players with seven rebounds.

The Rams won the battle of the boards by a slight margin, grabbing 38 to 34 for the Lady Railsplitters. The difference came on the offensive glass as Winston Salem State notched 14 second-chance opportunities.

The Lady Railsplitters faced as large as a three-point deficit in the opening minutes of play, as the Rams established an 8-5 lead with a pair of free throws from Wells at the 16:01 mark. LMU countered with an 11-2 run over the next 13 minutes of play to assume a 19-10 lead. They would never trail for the remainder of the contest on their way to a three-point victory.

The Lady Railsplitters will hit the road for the holidays, traveling to Pensacola, Fla., for the University of West Florida Thanksgiving Classic. LMU opens that event on Friday as they play host West Florida at 3 p.m.

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LINCOLN MEMORIAL 41, WINSTON-SALEM STATE 38

WINSTON-SALEM STATE (1-2)

Dionna Scott 3-12 2-2 9, Jovonah Graham 4-14 0-1 8, Taylar Wells 2-8 2-2 7, Keyrra Gillespie 3-8 0-0 6, Vanessa Weston 1-5 0-0 3, Somolia Mckenney 1-4 1-2 3, Schatavia Gray 1-1 0-0 2, Briana Wilder 0-1 0-0 0, Alexus Myles 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-54 5-7 38.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL (3-1)

Ralissa Nelson 3-9 0-0 9, MaRanda Boddie 3-11 0-0 6, Kelsey Bradford 2-5 0-0 6; Mariah Richardson 3-7 0-0 6, Britney Guy 1-2 2-2 5, Kalasia Green 1-5 1-1 3, Kortnay Cox 1-1 0-1 2, Stevie Yazzie 1-2 0-0 2, Edina Musa 1-4 0-0 2, Jasmine Kelly 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-47 3-4 41.

Winston-Salem State….. 18 20 — 38

Lincoln Memorial………. 24 17 — 41

3-point goals—Winston-Salem State 3-14 (Wells 1-3, Weston 1-4, Scott 1-5, Gillespie 0-1, Graham 0-1); Lincoln Memorial 6-19 (Nelson 3-8, Bradford 2-4, Guy 1-2, Green 0-1, Yazzie 0-1, Musa 0-2, Richardson 0-1). Fouled out—Winston-Salem State-None, Lincoln Memorial-None. Rebounds—Winston-Salem State 38 (Mckenney 7), Lincoln Memorial 34 (Boddie 6, Green 6). Assists—Winston-Salem State 8 (Gillespie 3, Weston 3); Lincoln Memorial 12 (Bradford 3). Total fouls—Winston-Salem State 10, Lincoln Memorial 11. Technical fouls—Winston-Salem State-None, Lincoln Memorial-None. A-155