GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Nikki Van Dine recorded 18 points, including a three-pointer with 40.9 seconds left as top-seeded Tusculum defeated No. 8 seed Lincoln Memorial 71-64 Wednesday night in a quarterfinal game of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

Tusculum (25-3) advances to Saturday's tournament semifinal and will take on No. 4 seed Newberry at the Catawba Valley Community College Arena in Hickory, N.C. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. LMU ends its season at 13-15.

Shantae Shank accounted for 19 points, while Stephany Neptune recorded a game-high 20 rebounds for the Pioneers. Neptune's board tally was one-shy of the SAC Tournament record, held by Fredia Lawrence of Gardner-Webb in 1991. TC's Jasmine Gunn also finished with 14 points and five assists.

LMU's Andi Winney tallied 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting while Shawna Nicols finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and game-high six steals.

Tusculum (ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II/No. 3 in South Atlantic Region) used an 8-1 spurt in the final five minutes of the first half to take a 33-24 lead into the locker room. Shank buried a three-pointer to start the second half to move TC out to a 36-24 advantage, but LMU responded with eight straight points, including six by Nicols as the Lady Railsplitters trailed 36-32.

TC answered with a 14-4 spurt and took its biggest lead of the night at 50-36 with 11:33 left in the game, capped off by a lay-up by Shank.

But LMU wouldn't back down as the Railsplitters used an 18-6 run and cut the TC lead to 56-54 after back-to-back buckets by Winney. TC would increase its advantage to six points (62-56) following a lay-up by Ashli Oliver with 3:17 remaining.

LMU made one last push and tied the game at 64-64 on a three-pointer by Nicols with 1:04 left in the contest. On Tusculum's ensuing possession, Van Dine knocked her fourth 3-pointer of the night, this one coming from the left corner with 40.9 seconds left.

LMU worked the ball down to the post and Megan Davis was fouled. But Davis missed both free throws. Oliver and Neptune made two free throws each down the stretch to seal the hard-fought win for Tusculum.

Van Dine shot 7-for-11 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three-point territory.

Saturday's Tusculum/Newberry match-up will mark the third straight year the two teams have met in the SAC Tournament. Tusculum goes to Hickory riding a 10-game winning streak.