Final Score – Lipscomb: 81, Bellarmine: 70
Location – Louisville, Ky. (Freedom Hall)
Records – Lipscomb: 10-7 (1-1, ASUN), Bellarmine: 4-13 (0-2, ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb led for nearly 38 minutes of the game as
Joe Anderson's 19 points led Lipscomb to an 81-70 victory over Bellarmine Saturday afternoon for the squad's first ASUN victory of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was a back-and-forth affair early as the Bisons held a slight 9-8 advantage at the first media timeout.
Lipscomb was firing at a 60% clip and making big shots, but couldn't pull away early as the Knights would punch back after each big bucket that the Bisons would make.
Lipscomb, however, kept its slight advantage with a 16-14 lead with 11:41 to go in the second half as the whistle blew for a media timeout.
The Bisons locked in over the next minutes and utilized a 6-0 run before the under-eight media timeout, capped off by a traditional three-point play by
Cody Head, to open a 25-17 advantage for a little separation.
The run continued with a pair of defensive stops and a midrange jumper by
Will Pruitt and triple from
Joe Anderson, quickly opening a 30-17 lead for the Bisons. The series forced a Bellarmine timeout with 6:28 to play in the first half.
Out of the timeout, Bellarmine punched back with a 7-0 run of its own, cutting Lipscomb lead back down 30-26 before
AJ McGinnis nailed a triple to get the Bisons out of its scoreless slump.
Anderson kept Lipscomb's hot streak from beyond the arc with another trey and the Bisons took a 36-28 lead into the final two minutes of the first frame.
In the final minute of action in the half, Anderson was a one-man wrecking crew on defense, blocking a shot and then forcing a steal that resulted in a triple for Pruitt. The sequence pushed the Bisons to a 39-28 lead at the halftime break.
Bellarmine got out to a quick start out of halftime with a 5-0 run, shaving Lipscomb lead 39-33 before McGinnis got the Bisons on the board with his third triple of the afternoon.
The Bisons got back out to a double-digit lead when
Owen McCormack completed an and-one opportunity out of the under-16 media timeout for a 49-39 advantage.
Lipscomb got out to as much as a 60-48 advantage when
Derrin Boyd cashed in on a three-pointer, but Bellarmine cut the lead back down to 10-points, 60-50, with just under 11 minutes to play.
The three-ball continued to fall, getting the Bisons lead back out to double-digits. Anderson nailed Lipscomb's 13
th three-pointer of the night, pushing Lipscomb to a 71-59 advantage with 7:11 to play, forcing a Knights timeout.
The Knights, however, wouldn't go away as a 6-0 run, shaved the lead back down to single digits, 75-67 with 3:59 left on the clock.
Lipscomb locked down and executed down the stretch on both ends of the court and saw out an 81-70 victory over the Knights for its first ASUN victory of the young conference season.
HERD NOTES
- Anderson led all scorers with 19 points, making a career-high five three-pointers. He also dished out seven assists with three rebounds.
- Other double-digit scorers included McGinnis and Boyd, both with 14 points.
- Pruitt led all rebounders with 10 on the afternoon.
- The Bisons finished the matchup with 14 triples, shooting over 42-percent from beyond the arc.
- Lipscomb shot 47.5-percent from the field to Bellarmine's 46.6-percent.
- The Bisons won the rebounding battle 36-27, including 10 offensive boards.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb will return to Allen Arena Saturday, Jan. 13 for a tilt with Austin Peay. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT.
