JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A dominant fourth quarter led the Lipscomb women’s basketball team to an extra successful Saturday afternoon as the Lady Bisons took down North Florida 73-66 on the road and clinched their spot in the ASUN Tournament. 

“I’ve said it all year, and I’ll say it again now: We have a group of fighters. They’ve battled for us all year - buying into culture, buying into a new style of play and buying into their roles,” Lipscomb women’s basketball head coach Lauren Sumski said.

“I think they are growing confident in the improvement and are really trying to put it all together now. Really proud of their effort and execution tonight.”

Heading into the final quarter Lipscomb trailed UNF 44-37 before proceeding to take over the game, outscoring the Ospreys 36-22 in the period, hitting nine of their 10 field goals hitting an astounding 15 of 18 free throws in the quarter. 

“I thought our effort to defend and rebound was really good today,” Sumski said. “With the exception of the start of the third quarter, I thought we took pretty good care of the ball too. I thought the girls did a better job of moving the ball and it not sticking anywhere and taking advantage of some opportunities.

“More than anything, I thought they really stayed together when UNF made their run. They trusted each other, trusted our stuff and did their jobs to get back in the ball game. Then, they did their job to execute down the stretch and win it.”

Again, so proud of this group of fighters. Everyone from our bench to our fans to the players on the court and our coaching staff were really in it together. That was really cool to be a part of."

Freshman Casey Collier led the way for much of the fourth, scoring 10 of her career-high 21 points in the frame. She tied for the team high in points after hitting nine of her 10 free throws and shooting 5-111 from the field. She also led the team with seven assists and grabbed five rebounds. 

Junior Taylor Clark tied Collier for the team lead with 21 points. She shot 8-10 from the field and collected five rebounds. 

Senior Emily Kmec earned a double-double, helping the Lady Bisons win the rebounding battle with 10 boards, scoring 10 points, and adding in three assists. 

Freshman Jalyn Holcomb was also big down the stretch scoring all nine of her points in the fourth while going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. She also grabbed six rebounds. 

“I really thought we got something for everyone today,” Sumski said. “I can go down the listing, but I thought Em was huge for us defensively. She put together a really nice double double - being aggressive on offense and making good decisions. I thought Carleigh really made two huge threes. Watching seniors do senior stuff is always a ton of fun. 

“I thought Casey really grew up today and made plays down the stretch whether it was finishing, making the right read or making free throws. Lastly, Taylor was her usual efficient self. It’s so impressive that we almost forget sometimes. I thought the biggest thing with her tonight was going through a stretch where she got a little frustrated, but she turned it around and it really turned around for our team. Really proud of her.”

After a back-and-forth but low-scoring first half, the two teams were tied at 24 entering the break. UNF came out of halftime to win another lower-scoring third period, before Lipscomb kicked the game into high gear in the fourth. 

The Lady Bisons started out the fourth on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 45-44 at the 7:23 mark. Another Purple and Gold run was punctuated by a dagger three from senior Carleigh Short, giving Lipscomb a 61-53 lead with just over two minutes left in the game. 

“My favorite part in the game was when we took three charges in a row it seemed and executed on our end,” Sumski said. “I thought those were momentum plays that really turned the game around for us.”

Lipscomb improves to 7-20 (4-10) with the win, while UNF falls to 14-13 (7-7).

“I’m pumped our kids clinched a spot in the tournament,” Sumski said. “To see all of their hard work, their trust, their belief come into fruition is exciting. I think what we forget the most as coaches is we see their improvement every single day because we are a bit better at seeing big picture. I think this kind of thing makes it tangible for them, so I’m excited for them. 

“Any win is special. Road wins are extra sweet, but road wins to make sure we get in the tournament are some of the sweetest. Now, we will enjoy this tonight, then refocus and get ready for the next one. That’s the fun part.”

HERD NOTES:

• Jazz Bond led UNF with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and seven blocks. Adrienne Jackson had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Janesha Green had 14 points. 
• Lipscomb shot 20-24 from the free throw line, their second-best mark of the season. 
• Holcomb and Short each swiped one of Lipscomb’s two steals. 
• Seven Lady Bisons played double-digit minutes. Short logged the most with 37 minutes played. 
• Lipscomb out-rebounded UNF 40-36. Each team doled out 13 assists. 

UP NEXT: Lipscomb will play their final road game of the regular season on Monday night at Jacksonville. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.