Final Score – Lipscomb: 70 North Alabama: 80
Location – Florence, Ala. (Flowers Center)
Records – Lipscomb: 16-11 (8-6, ASUN), North Alabama: 16-11 (8-6, ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Men's Basketball dropped an 80-79 decision Saturday night at North Alabama, snapping a three-game winning streak. Turnovers proved to be the Bisons' kryptonite as the Lions scored 17 points on 14 Lipscomb turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNA scored on the first possession of the game, but the Bisons quickly answered when
Ahsan Asadullah got Lipscomb on the board with nice work in the paint.
After going down by a pair, the Bisons responded with eight unanswered for an 8-2 lead before the Lions got back on the board.
Lipscomb continued to force tough long shots from the Lions and held an 8-4 lead at the under-16 media timeout of the first half.
The squads continued to trade blows through the next several minutes, but the Bisons continued to force contested shots from the Lions and converted offensively for a 17-12 lead with 10:44 left in the first frame.
North Alabama utilized a quick 11-2 run to retake a 21-19 lead at the 7:32 mark.
Lipscomb's offensive troubles continued and UNA took advantage, holding Lipscomb scoreless for nearly four minutes.
AJ McGinnis got Lipscomb back on the board with a big triple at the 5:48 mark.
The Lions continued to shoot at an extremely high clip, but the Bisons didn't go away.
Will Pruitt hit a massive three just before the under-four media timeout.
The game continued to be a physical fast-paced affair with both teams shooting higher than 50-percent from the field.
With 31.6 seconds left in the first half, the Bisons forced a turnover and head coach
Lennie Acuff called a timeout to setup the final Lipscomb play of the half, but Lipscomb was unable to convert. The Bisons trailed by a couple of possessions, 36-32, heading into the halftime break.
North Alabama scored six unanswered points out of the halftime break to extend its lead 42-32 before McGinnis got a three pointer to go for Lipscomb's first points of the second half.
The Bisons, however, continued to struggle to get shots to fall and trailed 46-37 at the first media timeout of the second frame.
Lipscomb again went scoreless for three minutes before
Trae Benham drew a foul and converted on both shots from the charity stripe.
North Alabama stayed aggressive and got a couple steals and scores, jumping out to a 54-39 lead, forcing a Lipscomb timeout with 13:06 left on the clock.
Benham provided a second-half spark off the bench to keep Lipscomb in striking distance. He made several tough shots, including a midrange jumper with just over nine minutes remaining, giving him seven points in the half.
The Bisons continued to battle as Asadullah found a wide-open
Will Pruitt with the backdoor cut for a quick two. A defensive board and a couple of foul shots from Ognacevic on the offensive end gave Lipscomb some life, cutting the lead 64-53.
Lipscomb clawed back within single-digits, 64-55, when Asadullah made a tough layup, but North Alabama cashed in with a triple on the other end to re-extent its lead.
The Bisons were never able to get over the hump and UNA closed out an 80-70 victory.
UP NEXT
The Bisons will return home for two games starting with a matchup with North Florida. Tipoff on Thursday, Feb. 16 is set for 7 p.m. CT in Allen Arena.
