Final Score: Lipscomb: 61, Jacksonville: 52
Location: Nashville, TN. (Allen Arena) 
Records:  Lipscomb: (16-8, 10-2 ASUN), Jacksonville (9-13, 3-9 ASUN)

THE SHORT STORY

A commanding fourth quarter helped the Bisons claim their 10th conference win against Jacksonville on Thursday night. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

The Bisons controlled the first quarter, racing off to a 7-0 lead with two triples from Bella Vinson and Jalyn Holcomb.

Lipscomb went 4-of-6 from deep to open the game, with three players burying shots from deep. 

Lipscomb looked like they might run away with the contest early as they extended their lead to 10 on another shot from beyond the arc by Vinson, forcing a timeout by Jacksonville.

Jacksonville managed to keep themselves within a few possessions, with some late first-quarter scores but still trailed by seven after one. 

Blythe Pearson converted inside on a layup to push the squads' lead back to double-digits with 8:18 to go in the second quarter. 

The Bisons went on several offensive spurts in the second quarter, but Jacksonville never went away, responding with runs of their own.  

After another one of Lipscomb's short scoring runs that increased their lead to nine with 3:37 still to go in the half, the Dolphins used a 5-0 run to cut their deficit to end the period. Lipscomb went 0-6 during that stretch, allowing Jacksonville to creep back to within two possessions. 

Vinson led all scorers in the half with 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting. As a team, the Bisons shot 33.3% from the floor but held the Dolphins to just 27.6% shooting defensively.  

Jacksonville took advantage of some of the Bisons' turnovers during the run, turning those mishaps into eight points on the other end. 

The Dolphins fought back to take the lead multiple times in the third quarter, going up by as much as four. Jacksonville was very efficient on the offensive end, going 9-of-14 in the frame.

Their 5-of-6 mark from deep proved to make a huge difference, as the Bisons also had a solid offensive quarter. Lipscomb shot 6-of-11 from the floor and knocked down three triples on their end. 

Because of their third-quarter scoring, the Dolphins held a two-point advantage entering the fourth quarter. 

Lipscomb put on another impressive fourth-quarter performance anchored by their defense. The Bisons forced three shot-clock violations and a total of six turnovers and converted those mistakes by the Dolphins into seven points.

Jacksonville opened the final frame with a three-pointer to give them their largest lead (5) of the contest, but the squad answered with an 8-2 run to take back the lead on a three-pointer in the corner from Claira McGowan. 
 

Jacksonville then converted on a layup inside and a free throw, giving them a two-point edge with 6:02 left, however, the Bisons closed the quarter on an 11-0 run to end the game.

Pearson connected on a clutch three-pointer right in front of the home bench, putting the contest out of reach for the Dolphins. 

Lipscomb secured their 10th ASUN win of the season and clinched a spot in the ASUN Championships with the win, improving to 16-8 overall and 10-2 in conference action.  

HERD NOTES

• Vinson notched her sixth 20+ point outing as she went for 23 on the night. 
• Pearson and McGowan each recorded 12 points versus the Dolphins. 
• Lipscomb connected on 11 three-pointers, six of them coming from Vinson. 
• The Bisons shot 42.2% from the floor, 40.7% from deep, and went 12-of-16 from the free-throw line. 

UP NEXT

Lipscomb will take on North Florida on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. CT at Allen Arena.