NASHVILLE – Lipscomb women's basketball took the court to battle for the boulevard in their annual matchup with their rivals, the Belmont Bruins (6-3). The Bisons kept pace with the Bruins for three quarters, but a fourth-quarter surge lifted Belmont over the Bisons 70-51. 

Aleah Sorrentino led the offensive effort for the Bisons, scoring 18 points on 9-of-18 shooting with six rebounds. Reigning ASUN Player of the Week, Claira McGowan logged 12 points against the Bruins, followed by Bella Vinson, who also reached double figures with 11.

HERD NOTES:

Sorrentino and Vinson led a strong start for the Bisons, who led by as much as seven in the first quarter. The tandem combined for 13 of the Bisons' 18 in the quarter. 

Lipscomb shot 8-of-18 in the first quarter and were able to generate extra possessions, forcing the Bruins into six first quarter turnovers. Their shooting and defensive efforts gave the road team as much as a seven-point lead in the opening period. 

Belmont went on a seven-point run with 1:39 left in the quarter to tie things at 15 a piece, but a late three from McGowan put the Bisons ahead 18-15 at the end of the period. 

The Bruins opened the second quarter with a 9-2 scoring run to take a 24-20 lead, forcing a Lipscomb timeout to regroup. 

Later in the frame, the Bisons took the lead with under three minutes left after a floater from Ainhoa Cea, followed by a three-pointer from McGowan a few seconds later after a steal on the other end. However, the Bruins were able to work for a three-point halftime lead, 36-33. 

The Bisons kept themselves in contention through the third quarter. After trailing by as much as nine in the period, Lipscomb cut their deficit on a second-chance bucket from Vinson and then a layup with three seconds left from Cea. The sequence kept the Bisons within five, with the remaining ten minutes left to play. 

Unfortunately, Belmont controlled the final frame as they outscored the Bisons 19-5, and held Lipscomb to their lowest-scoring quarter of the season. The Bruins stretched their lead late in the fourth with a 12-point scoring run to win the Battle of the Boulevard 70-51 in the Curb Event Center. 

HERD NOTES:

• The Bisons shot 35.5% from the floor Wednesday night on 22-of-62 shootings, while Belmont shot 52% on 26-of-50 shootings in their home gym.
• Lipscomb was 6-of-22 from beyond the arc against the Bruins.
• Belmont won the battle of the boards 45-25. 
• Belmont outscored Lipscomb in the painted area 42-28.

UP NEXT: 
Lipscomb will return home for their first contest in Allen Arena in 27 days as they host Johnson (Tenn.) on Sunday, December 10th at 1:30 p.m. CT; the matchup will be aired on ESPN+. 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.