Final Score – Lipscomb: 81, EKU: 67
Location – Nashville, Tenn. (Allen Arena)
Records – Lipscomb: 20-11 (11-5, ASUN), EKU: 17-13 (12-4, ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Men's Basketball team notched its 20
th win of the season, defeating Eastern Kentucky 81-67 in the final regular season game of the year.
Will Pruitt poured in 23 points to lead the Bisons while
AJ McGinnis contributed 19.
HOW IT HAPPENED
EKU got out to a 4-0 lead to start the game off, but McGinnis got the Bisons on the board and Pruitt made an early statement with a triple from the top of the arc, getting the Bisons out ahead.
The pace and excitement of the game was high through the opening minutes as ASUN Championship seeding was on the line. At the first media timeout, Lipscomb held a slight 11-9 lead with a pair of free throws coming up out of the break.
The game continued at a frenzied pace through the next four minutes, but Lipscomb still held a slight 18-17 at the under-12 media timeout (11:37).
Out of the break, EKU went on a 7-0 run to take a 24-18 advantage with 8:55 left on the clock.
Cody Head broke the drought when he got on the end of an
Owen McCormack pass for an easy pair.
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EKU's extended run continued as the Colonels outscored the Bisons 14-2 over more than five minutes to get out to a 31-20 advantage with just over six minutes left in the half.
EKU got out to a 15-point lead, but an
AJ McGinnis triple got the Bisons back on the board and spurred some life into the offense.
Lipscomb clawed back into things before the halftime buzzer. A huge triple from
Joe Anderson just before the halftime buzzer cut the EKU lead to single digits as the Bisons went to the locker room at a 38-30 deficit.
The Bisons outscored the Colonels 10-7 to start the second half as Lipscomb cut the deficit 45-40 at the first media timeout of the second half.
Out of the timeout, Lipscomb cut the deficit to a possession, 45-42 when McGinnis laid it in for a pair. The Bisons got another defensive stop and tied the game at 45 each when Pruitt drained a triple.
Down by a point, Pruitt was fouled before the media timeout. During the timeout, the EKU coach was called for a technical timeout. Pruitt sunk two technical foul free throws and his next two from the previous foul for a four-point swing and a 52-49 Lipscomb lead.
The intensity turned up for the Bisons as the squad continued on a 16-2 run over four minutes, and got out to a 61-51 lead, with the help of another McGinnis triple.
EKU settled back in offensively, but the Bisons didn't back down and continued to hold a 63-54 advantage at the under-eight media timeout.
EKU picked up the defensive intensity with a hard full-court press and forced a couple of Lipscomb turnovers. The Bisons, however, continued to hold a narrow 69-64 lead at the final media timeout with 3:51 left in the second frame.
Lipscomb got back out to a 10-point advantage when Pruitt chased down a ball that was going out of bounds to give the Bisons another possession. McCormack finished it off with a huge triple for the 75-65 lead with 2:45 to play.
The Bisons played strong defense down the stretch and made the stops needed to see out the 81-67 victory in the final regular season game of the year.
HERD NOTES
- Lipscomb shot 47-percent from the field compared to EKU's 40-percent.
- The Bisons shot 50-percent from three-point range.
- Lipscomb won the rebound battle 41-37.
- Pruitt led the way with 23 points. McGinnis (19), Head (12) and Ashman (10) also scored in double figures.
UP NEXT
No. 3 Lipscomb will play in its ASUN Quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 North Alabama on Tuesday, March 5. Tipoff in Allen Arena is set for 7 p.m. CT.
