Final Score – Lipscomb: 44, Jacksonville: 51
Location – Jacksonville, Fla. (Swisher Gymnasium)
Records – Lipscomb: 9-8 (1-3, ASUN), Jacksonville: 9-7 (2-2, ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
After a strong defensive first half, Lipscomb was unable to hang on to a first-half lead and fell to Jacksonville 51-44 on the road Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
From the jump, the game was a defensive battle with neither team scoring in the first two and a half minutes before Jacksonville opened scoring at the 17:30 mark of the first half.
Will Pruitt started Lipscomb's offense with a layup to match Jacksonville's score on the next possession.
The game really picked up pace over the next several minutes as the teams traded buckets, but Lipscomb held a 10-7 lead at the under-twelve media timeout.
Lipscomb switched to a defensive zone which held Jacksonville scoreless for several possessions as the Bisons got out to a 13-7 lead.
Defensively, both squads were strong as there were only 27 combined points scored over the first 14-minutes of the first half, but Lipscomb held onto a narrow 16-11 lead at the third media timeout of the half.
The zone continued to work for the Bisons as Jacksonville was scoreless for over five minutes until a three-pointer snapped the drought with just over three minutes left in the half.
Lipscomb, however, responded with back-to-back buckets by
Jacob Ognacevic and
Trae Benham to stretch the lead to double digits, 24-14, forcing a Jacksonville timeout with 2:21 to play in the frame.
The Dolphins outscored the Bisons 5-2 over the final minutes, but Lipscomb held onto a 26-19 lead heading into the halftime break.
The Dolphins started the second half with a quick 5-0 run, quickly shaving the Bisons' lead to a pair.
Lipscomb was cold offensively out of the halftime break and another Jacksonville bucket tied things up. The Dolphins continued on a 12-0 lead to take a 31-26 lead with 15:10 left in regulation.
Matt Schner got a desperately needed turnaround jumper to go for the Bisons at the 14:09 mark, but Jacksonville continued to fire on all cylinders and jumped out to a 38-28 lead, forcing head coach
Lennie Acuff to call a timeout.
Lipscomb held Jacksonville scoreless over the next 4:01 and mounted a 6-0 run to get the Dolphins' lead back down to a manageable 38-34.
Lipscomb went back to the zone which threw off the Dolphins and the Bisons capitalized.
Quincy Clark came to life and made three-straight baskets on as many possessions to lead Lipscomb on a 10-1 run, cutting the Jacksonville lead to just a point with 6:32 left in regulation.
Just before the final media timeout, Ognacevic forced a Jacksonville turnover and laid the ball in to keep the Bisons within striking distance.
Jacksonville, however went on a 5-0 run over the next 2:31 to take a 51-44 lead with 23 seconds left in the frame.
Lipscomb was unable to overcome the deficit and ultimately fell 51-44 on the road
HERD NOTES
- Asadullah had double-digit rebounds for the second-consecutive game with 14 boards.
- Will Pruitt and Ognacevic each scored eight points to lead the Bisons.
- The Bisons shot just 30.4% on the night while Jacksonville shot 39.2%.
UP NEXT
The Bisons will be back in action Thursday, Jan. 12 at Austin Peay. Tipoff in Clarksville is slated for 8 p.m. CT.
