CONWAY, Ark. –  Lipscomb women's basketball suffered its first conference loss of the season, falling in overtime to Central Arkansas (10-5, 2-0 ASUN) 66-61. In the final minutes of regulation, the Bisons hit two three-pointers to force overtime but could not come out with the victory on the road, being outscored in the extra period 12-7. With the loss, the Bisons move to 9-7 on the year and 2-1 in ASUN play. 

Despite coming up short as a team, Aleah Sorrentino had a 19 points and a season-best 16 rebounds. Blythe Pearson was the only other Bison in double-figures on the night with 15 points, including one of the two three-pointers at the end of the regulation that helped force overtime, and five rebounds. 
 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

The Sugar Bears open the ball game with a 7-0 run coming on an opening possession three and then two buckets inside. During the stretch, the Bisons went 0-3 on the offensive end, and were limited to just one shot.  

Aleah Sorrentino put the Bisons on the board by putting in two free throws to get Lipscomb's scoring going. Moments later, Molly Heard scored the Bisons' first basket on a layup with 6:18 left in the first period.

The basket sparked a seven-point swing, giving the Bisons their first lead (11-9). Blythe Pearson cut the Bisons deficit to two on a three-pointer off a steal in transition. A possession later, Sorrentino found herself at the line, where she lived for most of the first half, and buried a pair. The redshirt-junior went a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe in the first half.  

The go-ahead bucket came from Diana Saleh, her first points of the game off the bench. Central Arkansas managed to retake the lead, 14-13, before the first-quarter buzzer sounded. 

The second quarter saw runs from both squads, but neither team could develop a comfortable edge. UCA connected on a three-pointer in their opening possession of the second quarter, but Lipscomb had the first big run of the frame, scoring six straight on two-point baskets from Pearson, Sorrentino, and Claira McGowan. 

However, the momentum swung back in the Sugar Bears' direction shortly after, as they went on a healthy stretch, taking the lead for the remainder of the half. Down four with 51 seconds on the clock, Sorrentino scored her final two of 11 in the half on a layup to reach within two points. (30-28). 

After a stop on the defense end, McGowan put up a half-court prayer that nearly fell. Nonetheless, Lipscomb trailed by two at the break. 

Both teams struggled to score in the third quarter, shooting under 30 percent from the floor in the period. UCA worked for as much as a four-point lead in the frame, but the Bisons kept themselves firmly in the contention because of their defense effort in the third, holding UCA to their lowest point total in regulation. 

The Sugar Bears led for most of the fourth quarter. Lipscomb found themselves down by two or three possessions in multiple moments but always found a way to answer. Each possession proved important down the stretch, but no sequence came much bigger than the final two minutes. 

The Bisons found themselves down seven, but with 2:02 left to play in regulation, Pearson knocked down the tail end of two free throws to put her in double figures for the night and cut the Sugar Bear's lead down to six. After a steal on the other end by Bella Vinson, Molly Heard found Pearson in the corner, where she buried her second triple of the night to cut their deficit to three. 

Lipscomb turned Central Arkansas over again on their next possession and called timeout to draw up a favorable play down three. Heard delivered for the Bisons on a top-of-the-key deep ball with 35 seconds left to even the score at 54-all.

The three-point shot had not been falling all night for the Bisons, but in crunch time, the several players were able to find a convert from deep when it matter most in regulation.

Central Arkansas got off two shot attempts in the remaining second, but neither of them fell, sending the contest into overtime. 

The Bisons couldn't hold off the Sugar Bears in the extra five minutes of action. UCA went up six with 1:49 to go. Lipscomb later cut the Sugar Bear's lead down to three twice, once by Vinson as she drained her first three-pointer of the night, and then one on a converted and one opportunity by Sorrentino with seven seconds remaining

Unfortunately, the Bisons were forced to foul after not getting a steal on the inbound pass. Central Arkansas converted on both free throws to ice the game, handing the Bisons their first loss in ASUN action by a final score of 66-61 in Conway. 

HERD NOTES:

• The Bisons shot only 32 percent from the floor on the night.
• Lipscomb was held to five three-pointers, going 5-of-26 from deep overall, after entering the contest leading the conference in three-pointers made and three-point percentage.
• Central Arkansas won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding Lipscomb 47-40.
• Sorrentino earned her second double-double of the season and eighth of her career.
• Pearson reached double-figures for the eighth time this season. 
• The defeat marks just the first loss to Central Arkansas during the Sumski era. 

UP NEXT: 
Lipscomb will return to action Saturday, Jan. 13,  in the second of three straight ASUN road games in Florence, Alabama, as they take on the North Alabama Lions. Saturday's tip is set for 5 p.m. CT. 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.