TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After three hard-fought quarters, the Lipscomb (3-11) women’s basketball could not contain the Alabama (11-2) offense in the fourth quarter, losing 68-49 down the stretch.

A long range bomb from senior Chandler Cooper, her fourth of the night, cut the Crimson Tide lead to single digits heading into the final frame of action, but that was as close as the Lady Bisons would get to completing the comeback.

“I thought we played tough,” Lipscomb women’s basketball head coach Greg Brown said. “I thought we, for the most part, matched them physically and did what we had to do. We executed the defensive game plan pretty well.

“We missed some shots that were tough that put some pressure on us, but we held a team under 70 and saw how we could work against the press. I saw a lot of things we want to carry on to conference. I liked the way we answered runs, and to hold them to 27 in the second half I think speaks well for us.”

Junior Alex Banks led the Purple and Gold with 16 points, while Cooper also finished in double-figures with 15. The two shot a combined 8-11 from downtown to keep the Lady Bisons in the game.

“We had good ball movement,” Brown said. “We were able to get them some rhythm three’s tonight. We are a good shooting team. Ashley, Lo, and Riley were great on those skip passes against their press.”

Sophomore Hannah Cook paced Alabama with 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

QUICK HITS:

• Both teams forced several turnovers throughout the contest, with Lipscomb forcing 17 and coughing up 21 of their own.

“We did a good job forcing turnovers, but we have to convert off of them,” Brown said. “I liked what we did. We executed the game plan defensively, and we were in the right positions. Everybody that played made a play, whether it was getting a hand on the ball or getting a steal.”

• Senior Ashley Southern had a strong defensive night, grabbing eight boards and notching a block and a steal.
• Sophomore Loren Cagle compiled three assists and three steals in the loss.
• Lipscomb shot 9-18 from three-point range, as compared to the Crimson Tide’s 6-18 mark.

UP NEXT: Lipscomb will take on Jackson State on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

“They’re similar in that they’re going to be very athletic,” Brown said. “They’re going to try to get some pressure. We have to be tight with the ball and make plays defensively.”