NASHVILLE – Lipscomb women's basketball took on Tennessee Wesleyan in their last contest of 2023, and the final non-conference showing before they begin ASUN action in January. After a tough loss to Kentucky less than 24 hours prior, the Bisons came out the gate slowly, but quickly got their legs under them and cruised to a 91-52 victory in Allen Arena Friday afternoon. The Bisons end non-conference play with seven wins, the most of any season in program history.
Kamil Collier earned the second double-double of her young career, logging 12 points and 13 rebounds Friday afternoon. Claira McGowan led all scorers with 17, while Olivia Vandergriff poured in a career-high 14 points in the 39-point victory over the Bulldogs.
After a slow start, the Bisons picked things up midway through the first quarter. Claira McGowan was on an offensive mission in the frame, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first her five minutes of play time in the first quarter. She was responsible for five points in Lipscomb's seven-point run at the 2:58 mark, which helps create some separation in the opening period.
Blythe Pearson rattled home a three-pointer with just under two minutes left, the final points of the first period, as the Bisons took a 19-10 lead into the second quarter.
McGowan logged seven more points in the second quarter to lead all scorers again, going a perfect 3-of-3 during her time on the court. Lipscomb outscored the Bulldogs 26-16 in the second frame, due to a dominant 14-point scoring run while holding Tennessee Wesleyan without a basket for more than five minutes during the stretch. As a result, the Bisons took a 45-26 lead into halftime, their largest lead in the first half.
Coach Sumski got her bench players and underclassmen some valuable minutes in the second half and the group responded, recording 38 of the Bisons 46 points in the second half.
The Bisons also started to catch fire from downtown in the second half, going 10-of-25 from deep. Olivia Vandergriff was responsible for four of those threes, going 4-of-8 from deep, while Taylor Bowen didn't hesitate to let it fly either, connecting on three of her nine attempts from range in the second half.
The duo combined for the first 11 points for the Bisons to open the fourth quarter. Bowen went on a six-point scoring run of her own, hitting two straight triples in the final period. Bowen's spurt was part of a larger 15-point run by the Bisons, which blew the contest wide open.
Lipscomb put up another 26-point quarter, leading to a 91-52 victory to close out non-conference play inside Allen Arena and set the non-conference single-season win record in blowout fashion.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH COACH SUMSKI AND KAMIL COLLIER:
HERD NOTES:
- The Bisons hit 15 triples against Tennessee Wesleyan, the second most as a team this season.
- Lipscomb bench scored 64 of the Bisons' 91 points on the afternoon.
- Five Bisons reached double figures for the first time this season.
- Ninety-one points is the most points the Bisons have scored as a team in their 13 showings in 2023.
- The Bisons scored 27 points off Bulldog turnovers, forcing 19 turnovers with ten steals, tied for the most steals in a game this season.
- Lipscomb ends non-conference play with a 7-6 record and snaps a three-game losing skid with the win.
- With the victory, the Bisons improved to 3-0 against Tennessee Wesleyan since becoming D-1.
UP NEXT:
Lipscomb will be back in action on Jan. 4 at home against Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. as they begin ASUN play. Continue to check lipscombsports.com and the team's social media accounts (@lipscombwbb on IG and @lipscomb_wbb on X) for the most up-to-date information on Lipscomb women's basketball.
