Final Score – Lipscomb: 82, Chattanooga :58
Location – Nashville, Tenn. (Allen Arena)
Records – Lipscomb: 6-3, Chattanooga: 5-2
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb surged ahead before the half and never looked back to defeat a tough Chattanooga team 82-68 on Wednesday afternoon in Allen Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In front of 1,000 Lipscomb Academy students, Lipscomb got out to a hot start.
Derrin Boyd splashed a three-pointer for the first points of the game. The Bisons continued to fire offensively and locked down on the offensive end for a 7-3 advantage at the first media timeout.
Chattanooga continued to struggle from the field through the first minutes as the Bisons held the Mocs without a field goal for the first seven minutes, but UTC converted from the free throw line to keep themselves in the game.
Lipscomb's offense slowed a bit after the first break, but
Cody Head and
Will Pruitt had a pair of big buckets to put some life back in to the Purple-and-Gold offense.
With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, UTC had clawed back and tied the game at 14 points each.
The squads were each without a bucket for the next couple of minutes, but Boyd broke through with a traditional three-point play when he drove the bucket and connected through contact for a 17-14 advantage.
The back-and-forth action continued as the squads traded punches and the score was tied 19-19 at the under-eight media timeout of the first half.
Out of the break, Lipscomb went on a 6-0 run to open a 25-19 lead. UTC bit back with a triple, but once again Pruitt made a nearly impossible bucket on the other end to keep the Lipscomb separation.
The Bisons continued to gain separation as it extended its 13-3 run highlighted by a
Cody Head and-one play en route to a 32-22 advantage with just under three minutes left to play.
The Bisons made five of its last seven field goals of the first half to take a 41-27 lead into the halftime break. Pruitt led all scorers with 13 points while Boyd added 10 points. The Bisons held the Mocs to just 24-percent shooting in the first half.
The second half started with the Mocs seeming to find some momentum, but the Bisons shut them down when Boyd drove the bucket for a pair and then forced a turnover that led to a Pruitt three pointer. UTC was forced into a timeout as Lipscomb led 51-34 with 15:51 left in the game.
Lipscomb locked down defensively and got out to its largest lead, 55-37, with just under 12 minutes to play when it held Chattanooga without a bucket for over two and a half minutes.
Lipscomb continue to press on the gas and utilized a 13-3 run for a 68-42 lead with 7:50 left in the matchup.
Over the final minutes, the Bisons were able to close out an 82-68 victory in front of a home crowd in Nashville on Wednesday afternoon.
THOUGHTS FROM THE BENCH
HERD NOTES
- Pruitt led the way with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
- Four Bisons were in double digits, Pruitt, McGinnis, Boyd and Head.
- The Bisons shot 49-percent from the field and 41-percent from distance.
- Lipscomb forced 14 UTC turnovers while only committing eight of its own.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb will be back on the road this weekend for a game at UCF on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT in Orlando, Fla.
