Lipscomb University
7-6,2-1ASUN
Bellarmine
3-4,0-1ASUN
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lipscomb | 35 | 42 | 77 |
| Bellarmine | 34 | 38 | 72 |
Ferguson leads Bisons to victory in ASUN road opener at Bellarmine
1/8/2021 9:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bisons improved to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in league play, while Bellarmine dropped to 3-4, 0-1. The two sides will square off again on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
KJ Johnson led a quartet of Bisons in double figures with 20 points and Greg Jones followed with a season-high 19 as both knocked down a team-high four 3-pointers.
Romeao Ferguson provided Lipscomb another big performance with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. He has now scored double figures in nine straight outings.
Big performance on the road from @Flacko_rome as tonight's @TarkHarwell Player of the Game. ??
— LipscombMBB (@LipscombMBB) January 9, 2021
Also matched his season-high in rebounds, swiped 2? steals and drained 3? triples. #HornsUp ?? pic.twitter.com/f8b9Hkwi9y
HOW IT HAPPENED
The contest was evenly matched and seesawed back-and-forth throughout with 13 lead changes, nine ties and neither side gaining a double-digit advantage.
With less than four minutes to play and the Bisons down three, Ferguson buried a triple from the right wing to even the game. Johnson then connected on a 3-pointer seconds later to put Lipscomb back in front 70-67 before Bellarmine tied the game up on the ensuing possession. One minute later, Dylan Penn gave the Knights their final lead on a driving layup, but was unable to convert the 3-point play.
WHAT. A. GAME@LipscombMBB Romeao Ferguson ties the game at 67 apiece with his 3-pointer. Ferguson has 16 on the night. #ASUNMBB#HornsUp | @Flacko_rome ???? pic.twitter.com/RpWD9RQm2Z
— #ASUNMBB ?? (@ASUN_MBB) January 9, 2021
As the clocked went under a minute to play, Ahsan Asadullah pulled down an offensive board and went right back up to even the score. From there, the Bisons took a 74-72 lead on a pair of free throws from Johnson at the 30-second mark. Bellarmine turned the ball over on the next trip down the floor, leading Jake Wolfe and Greg Jones to ice the game at the stripe.
Playing their first-ever ASUN contest in any sport, the Knights were hot out of the gate and built a 12-3 lead less than four minutes into play.
Greg Jones got the Bisons going with a pair of 3-pointers and three makes at the line before Ferguson's bucket at the 8:52 mark put Lipscomb on top for the first time, 23-22, after a 20-10 run.
Parker Hazen buried a three of his own from the corner to help send Lipscomb into the break with a 35-34 lead.
Active hands on one end, hammer on the other. @p_hazen making things tough on the perimeter for the Knights! ??
— LipscombMBB (@LipscombMBB) January 9, 2021
Bellarmine up 21-19 #HornsUp pic.twitter.com/ccn9UtIjvV
After the half, Johnson scored 18 of his 20 points and the Bisons connected on 7-of-11 from deep to shoot 61.9 percent from the floor.
It's a see-saw battle at Freedom Hall. @LipscombMBB regains the lead on this 3 from KJ Johnson. #ASUNMBB#HornsUp | @Light_bright_3 ???? pic.twitter.com/FEGMupaqxR
— #ASUNMBB ?? (@ASUN_MBB) January 9, 2021
FROM THE BENCH
"Every time we needed a basket, somebody would jump up and make a shot for us. We just beat a really, really good team on the road." - @coachacuff https://t.co/kyodf2WzzU
— LipscombMBB (@LipscombMBB) January 9, 2021
HERD NOTES
- Lipscomb hit 52.2 percent of its shots and drilled 12-of-23 of its attempts from long distance - the fifth time they have nailed double-digit triples this season.
- The Bisons were strong at the stripe, connected on 17-of-22.
- The eight steals were the 2nd-most of the season for the team. They swiped nine against Crowley's Ridge.
- Parker Hazen was the fourth Bison in double figures with 10 points. He also totaled four rebounds and two steals.
- Jake Wolfe added five points, three rebounds and three assists.
- Greg Jones scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half, going 3-of-6 from deep and 4-of-4 from the stripe.
- Ahsan Asadullah pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with seven points. He became the latest Bison to join the 1,000-point club.
Congrats, @ahsanasadullah!
— LipscombMBB (@LipscombMBB) January 9, 2021
Welcome to the 1?,0?0?0?-point club??#HornsUp?? | #OnTheMove pic.twitter.com/gVHjhUYz1T
