Final Score: Lipscomb - 77, Duquesne - 74
Location: Pittsburgh, Penn. (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse)
Records: Lipscomb: 1-0, Duquesne: 0-1
THE SHORT STORY
Jacob Ognacevic's 30 points led Lipscomb to a 77-72 victory on the opening night of the 2024-25 season. The Bisons shot over 52-percent from the floor and 42-percent from beyond the arc en route to the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a couple scoreless possessions for the squads to settle into the season, the Bisons came out on fire. Ognacevic cashed in on the first points of the night with a triple and
Charlie Williams followed that with another trey for a 6-0 Lipscomb lead.
Lipscomb's defense continued to hold Duquesne to very little and the Bisons' offense continued to fire. Another pair of triples by Ognacevic and
Gyasi Powell gave Lipscomb an 11-2 lead that forced a Dukes timeout.
The Lipscomb run continued out of the timeout, outscoring the Dukes 7-2 for an 18-4 lead before a Duquesne triple stopped the bleeding.
Back-and-forth action continued that saw Lipscomb get out to a 25-10 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
Lipscomb's three-point shooting continued to be impressive. Ognacevic and
Miles White hit a pair of threes for a 32-14 lead as the Bisons were 7-9 from beyond the arc.
Duquesne started to chip away at the lead after the under-eight media timeout. The Dukes used a couple of three-point plays to cut the Lipscomb lead to single digits, 33-24 with six minutes left in the half.
The Bisons continued to battle and held onto a 39-30 lead at the final media timeout of the half.
Duquesne had an opportunity at the last shot of the half, but a Lipscomb zone defense kept the Dukes off the board to take a 41-34 lead into the locker room.
The shootout continued early in the second half with both squads making plays. The Bisons got back out to a double-digit lead with an Ognacevic dunk and a pair of free throws by Powell for a 52-40 advantage.
Another great find from
Joe Anderson gave Ognacevic an open layup and the Bisons took a 54-40 advantage heading into the under-16 media timeout.
Will Pruitt connected on a layup for a 58-44 lead, but the Dukes went on a 13-4 run over the next five minutes, cutting the Lipscomb lead 57-62 with 9:02 left in the game.
Needing to score, the Bisons found themselves at the end of the shot clock, but Williams nailed a triple as the shot clock sounded, putting Lipscomb up 65-57 just before the under eight timeout.
Out of the timeout, Duquesne cut the lead 65-62 with a triple and just over five on the clock. A Lipscomb offensive foul gave the Dukes the ball back but Lipscomb's defense held strong. On the other end, Ognacevic hit a turn-around jumper that extended the lead 67-62 with 4:30 remaining.
The Bisons, however, dug in and got back-to-back scores and stops for a 71-62 lead at the final media timeout with 2:54 left on the clock.
Lipscomb continued to control the game and got back out to a double-digit lead when Powell drove in for a layup with 1:11 left to play.
Duquesne got some back, cutting the lead 74-69 with 6.1 to play after a Lipscomb turnover.
The Bisons, however, stood strong and saw out a 77-72 victory for an opening night victory.
HERD NOTES
- Ognacevic had a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds
- Other double-digit scorers included Gyasi Powell (12) and Will Pruitt (15)
- The Bisons shot 52.1% from the floor to Duquesne's 45.2%
- Anderson finished the night with eight assists
UP NEXT
Lipscomb will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Arkansas. Tipoff in Fayetteville is set for 7 p.m. CT.
