Final Score – Lipscomb: 98, Stetson: 91
Location – DeLand, Fla. (Edmunds Center)
Records – Lipscomb: 19-12 (11-7, ASUN), Stetson: 17-12 (12-7)
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Men's Basketball closed out the regular season with a 98-91 victory on the road at Stetson.
Jacob Ognacevic led the way with a season-high 29 points while five Bisons scored in double figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stetson won the tip for the opening possession, but Lipscomb held Stetson to a tough shot. The Hatters go the offensive board, but the Bisons defense held strong to keep the Hatters from striking first.
On the other end of the floor,
Will Pruitt scored the first points of the night with a triple from the corner for a 3-0 lead.
Derrin Boyd scored Lipscomb's next five points giving the Bisons an 8-4 lead at the first media timeout (15:54).
The pace continued to get quicker as the game settled in and the squads traded buckets, but Lipscomb still held the lead, 18-14, at the 12:06 mark of the first half.
The Hatters began to head up from behind the arc and cut the Lipscomb lead to a point just before the next media timeout. Out of the break, Stetson took a one-point lead, but
Matt Schner got the Bisons back on the board with his signature fadeaway.
The offense slowed down on both ends of the floor, but the Bisons were scoreless for 4:55 heading into the final media timeout of the first half as Stetson took a 27-24 lead.
Ognacevic tied things back up at 27 before Stetson retook the lead with a triple. The lead was short lived as Ognacevic converted a traditional three-point play. After a defensive stop, the Bisons retook the lead, 32-30, with a
Derrin Boyd layup to force a Stetson timeout.
Lipscomb stayed the aggressor through the final minutes of the first half and
Quincy Clark found a way to get a shot to go at the buzzer for a 34-30 Lipscomb lead at the half.
Boyd, Lipscomb's leading scorer in the first half, picked up where he left off with an and-one to start the second, extending Lipscomb's lead.
The Bisons had as much as a seven-point lead, but the Hatters tightened things back up and got back within a point, 43-32, with just over 16 minutes to play.
Stetson tied things up at 53, but it was short lived as Clark drove the basket for a big bucket to give Lipscomb back the lead.
The Hatters and the Bisons were trading punches through the next few minutes and the game was tied at 58 at the under-12 media timeout after big triples on both ends of the court.
Lipscomb was able to get some separation with an 8-3 run, highlighted by triples from Ognacevic and
Will Pruitt to force a Stetson timeout as the Hatters trailed 66-61.
Stetson pulled back within a pair and seemed to have all the momentum, but the Bisons punched back when Clark nailed a triple and got another tough layup to go, pulling back out to a 73-66 lead with 4:03 left on the clock.
The Hatters, however, quickly erased the Lipscomb lead and pulled ahead 76-75 with 2:28 left on the clock.
With a minute left to play, Lipscomb held a slim 79-78 lead and the Hatters had the ball. Stetson scored at the end of the shot clock for an 80-79 lead with 37 seconds left on the clock.
Quincy Clark brought the ball up the court and scored a contested driving layup at the end of the shot clock, giving the Bisons an 81-80 lead with 10 ticks left on the clock.
With two seconds on the clock, Stetson rose for a shot that hit off the rim, but a foul was called. Stetson made the first but missed the second and the game would head to overtime tied at 81.
Boyd scored the first points of the overtime period when he forced a steal and converted on the other end. The Bisons continued to play tough on both ends and scored four unanswered to start the overtime period.
Lipscomb continued to fire and made 7 of its last 9 field goals to close out a 98-91 victory.
HERD NOTES
- Lipscomb had a season-low five turnovers.
- The Bisons outscored Stetson in the paint 54-32.
- Pruitt led the way with seven rebounds for the Bisons.
