SALISBURY, N.C. — The Lady Railsplitters’ two-game winning streak was brought to a close on Saturday afternoon, as the Catawba College Indians used a second-half rally to take a 51-40 victory in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action. Lincoln Memorial University (10-10, 3-7 SAC) was edged for the second-consecutive time by the Indians on the road, while Catawba moves to 10-8 on the season and 6-4 in SAC play.

The Lady Railsplitters fought a closely contested battle throughout much of the game, as they trailed 35-34 with 8:50 remaining in regulation. However, the Indians put the game away with a 14-0 run over the next five minutes and forty-eight seconds to assume a 49-34 lead with three minutes to play en route to the victory.

Lincoln Memorial struggled mightily on the offensive end, finishing with a 12-54 mark from the field for a 22.2% clip, while committing 19 turnovers. Senior Ralissa Nelson was the lone Lady Railsplitter to cross the double-figure plateau with 11 points on the afternoon. Nelson drained three of her eight attempts from long range to pace Lincoln Memorial in the losing effort. Kalasia Green tallied eight points despite struggling from the field with a 4-16 effort. MaRanda Boddie was limited to only six points, however, the junior was able to record a game-high 12 rebounds and three blocks.

Chloe Bully was the story offensively for the Indians, as she led all scorers with 18 points on 7-19 shooting from the field. Bully paired that scoring output with five boards and four assists. Antionette McPhail and Elizabeth Merritt each put in nine points for the Indians, while McPhail and Taylor May paced Catawba to a 38-36 margin of victory on the glass with eight rebounds apiece. The Indians finished the game with a 39.6% mark from the field, but notched a 45.5% effort in the second-half to upend the Lady Railsplitters. LMU was, however, able to force Catawba into committing 20 turnovers in the contest. The Indians also dominated the battle inside, as they tallied 26 points in the paint and limited LMU to only 14.

At the 16:53 mark of the first stanza, the Lady Railsplitters and Indians met in a 9-9 tie before the Indians used a jumper by Emma Ucinski to take the early lead with 15:13 to play in the period. After a more than three minute scoring drought by each squad, Catawba extended the lead to four with a layup by Chloe Bully with 11:36 to play. Catawba pushed their lead to as many as six in the first half and held on to a six-point advantage following a three-pointer by Bully with 2:29 to play. The Lady Railsplitters closed to within two following a pair of free throws by Elliotte Roberts and a layup by MaRanda Boddie with 15 seconds left, however, Bully notched another jumper as time expired in the half to send the Indians into the break leading, 24-20.

The Lady Railsplitters opened the second frame on a 7-2 run, capped with a three-ball by Mariah Richardson, to take a 27-26 lead with 18:22 left in regulation. However, the Indians answered with a 9-2 run of their own to regain a six-point advantage at 35-29 by the 14:43 mark of the frame. Following a jumper by Eliotte Roberts and a three by Ralissa Nelson, the Lady Railsplitters found themselves facing only a 35-34 deficit with 8:50 to play. However, the Lady Railsplitters were held scoreless over the ensuing 5:48, as Catawba rolled out a 14-0 run, capped with a layup by Elizabeth Merritt, to take control of the game at 49-34.

The Lady Railsplitters finished the game on a 6-2 run, but it was too little, too late, as the Indians used that final rally to defeat LMU, 51-40, in South Atlantic Conference play.

Lincoln Memorial will look to rebound from today’s loss with a pair of home games on tap this week, as they are slated to return to Tex Turner Arena to host Mars Hill on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Newberry on Saturday at 6 p.m.

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LINCOLN MEMORIAL (10-10, 3-7 SAC)

Ralissa Nelson 3-10 2-2 11; Kalasia Green 4-16 0-0 8; MaRanda Boddie 3-7 0-0 6; Tawny Tucci 0-0 4-4 4; Elliotte Roberts 1-4 2-2 4; Mariah Richardson 1-5 0-0 3; Kortnay Cox 0-2 2-2 2; Kelsey Bradford 0-7 2-2 2; Britney Guy 0-0 0-0 0; Haley Nelson 0-1 0-0 0; Jasmine Kelly 0-2 0-0 0; Alise Samite 0-0 0-0 0; Miranda Davenport 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-54 12-12 40.

CATAWBA (10-8, 6-4 SAC)

Chloe Bully 7-19 2-2 18; Antionette McPhail 4-8 0-0 9; Elizabeth Merritt 4-9 0-0 9; Janna Dixon 1-2 2-2 5; Emma Ucinski 2-4 0-0 4; Taylor May 2-6 0-0 4; Mallary Clay 1-4 0-0 2; Vernae Whitby 0-0 0-0 0; Lindsay Martin 0-0 0-0 0; Jelena Ciric 0-0 0-0 0; Greta Tamasauskaite 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 4-4 51.

Lincoln Memorial…. 20 20 — 40

Catawba………………. 24 27 — 51

3-point goals—Lincoln Memorial 4-17 (Ralissa Nelson 3-8; Mariah Richardson 1-1; Kortnay Cox 0-1; Kelsey Bradford 0-4; Kalasia Green 0-3), Catawba 5-11 (Chloe Bully 2-7; Janna Dixon 1-1; Elizabeth Merritt 1-1; Antionette McPhail 1-1; Emma Ucinski 0-1). Fouled out—Lincoln Memorial-None, Catawba-None. Rebounds—Lincoln Memorial 36 (MaRanda Boddie 12), Catawba 38 (Taylor May 8; Antionette McPhail 8). Assists—Lincoln Memorial 9 (Kelsey Bradford 3), Catawba 10 (Chloe Bully 4). Total fouls—Lincoln Memorial 10, Catawba 14. Technical fouls—Lincoln Memorial-None, Catawba-None. A-217.