NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb (3-15, 0-3) women’s basketball team closed its home stretch with a 91-66 loss to Stetson (13-5, 2-1) on Monday night in Allen Arena.

After a tough start, the Lady Bisons came out firing in the third quarter, outscoring the Hatters 24-14 over the five minute period. The Hatters answered with a dominant quarter of their own, winning the fourth frame 29-16 to secure the win.

Junior point guard Loren Cagle nearly earned a triple-double, as she led the team with both eight rebounds and 11 assists, to go along with nine points and three steals.

Senior Alex Banks and junior Loshaveon Jones each tied for the team lead with 11 points, while junior Meredith Lovelady added nine.

Lipscomb’s third quarter run was spurred by hot outside shooting. The Lady Bisons shot 9-19 from deep for the game, compared to the Hatters 8-14 mark, including four in the third period alone.

Stetson senior Brianti Saunders continued her streak of strong performances against Lipscomb, compiling 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Head Coach Greg Brown’s Thoughts:

“I liked our effort in the third quarter very much so, but defensively, the fourth quarter killed us considering the run we had made in the third. I applaud the effort, but our execution has to be a lot better defensively.

“They did execute in that third quarter. That’s the exciting part, and that’s the part we have to get to: the consistency of being able to sustain that for 40 minutes. It’s certainly something to build on, but we have to get more of it. They’re a good team, and they make you pay on your breakdowns.

“With 11 points and eight rebounds, Loren certainly filled up the stat sheet. Loshaveon did a good job of using her athleticism to get into position on offense, and she got out and made some defensive plays.”

QUICK HITS:

• Four Hatters finished in double-figures Saunders (24), Breana Bey (17), McKenna Beach (17), and Brittney Chambers (13).
• Stetson won the rebounding battle 34-24, and the assist battle 25-17.
• Lipscomb out-scored Stetson in points-off-turnovers (18-12), second-chance points (5-4), fast-break points (14-4), and bench points (31-24).
• Each team turned the ball over 15 times exactly.

UP NEXT: The Lady Bisons will head to Florida for their first pair of road conference games of the season against North Florida and Jacksonville on Jan. 21 and 23.