ATHENS, W.Va. — In a game that saw 12 lead changes, the Lady Railsplitters came up on the winning end of the final shift in momentum to take a 60-55 victory over the Concord University Mountain Lions in nonconference women’s basketball action on Thursday. The win snaps a two-game losing skid for Lincoln Memorial University as they get on the plus side at 5-4 on the season. Concord falls to 2-7 overall with the loss.

The Lady Railsplitters found themselves in an early 6-0 hole following a quick start by the Mountain Lions in the first two minutes of play. Concord continued to push the pace in the ensuing minutes, establishing a 13-4 lead following a jumper from Amanda Smith with 14:52 to play in the half.

LMU battled back to cut the deficit to 13-10 on a 3-pointer from Ralissa Nelson as the first stanza neared the halfway point. Leslie Mack answered that bucket with a three of her own in the next possession, however, the Lady Railsplitters swung the momentum with a 7-0 run, capped with jumper by Mariah Richardson to take their first lead at 17-16 with 8:51 remaining in the half.

The two teams jockeyed back and forth for the final eight minutes, meeting in two ties over that span. Haley Nelson scored all five points as LMU closed the half with a 5-0 run to take a 28-27 lead into the break.

The score was tied on four more occasions over the first 11 minutes of the second half. The Lady Railsplitters got a free throw from Kelsey Bradford and a layup by Haley Nelson to take a 48-45 lead with 8:02 to play. Once again, Concord fought back with a 4-0 run capped with a jumper by Stephanie Wagner to grab a 49-48 advantage with 5:14 left on the clock.

After the lead flip-flopped two more times, a jumper by Ralissa Nelson with 2:18 to play put LMU on top to stay. She would extend the LMU advantage to 58-54 with 1:28 to play and the Lady Railsplitters sealed the contest with a pair of free throws by Haley Nelson as they went on to the 60-55 win.

Mariah Richardson paced the Lady Railsplitters with 16 points on 8-12 shooting in only 23 minutes of action. Haley Nelson headlined the LMU back court with 14 points and a pair of steals in the winning effort.

Ralissa Nelson came off the bench to spark the Lady Railsplitters with 13 points. MaRanda Boddie helped lead Lincoln Memorial to a 43-37 advantage on the boards with a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with four points.

Jasmine Kelly reigned in six rebounds, while Kelsey Bradford dished out a team-high four assists.

The Lady Railsplitters limited Concord to 33.9-percent shooting from the field and forced the Mountain Lions into committing 18 turnovers. Amanda Smith was the highlight of the Mountain Lions’ night with 19 points on 8-14 shooting from the field. Rachel Artrip added 12 points.

LMU will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 16, for their first home game since Nov. 20. The Lady Railsplitters welcome Lewis University for a nonconference battle slated to tip at 2 p.m.