Final Score: Lipscomb: 70, Jacksonville: 65
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (Swisher Gymnasium)
Records: Lipscomb: 9-5, Jacksonville: 6-7
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Men's Basketball held off a late surge from Jacksonville to earn a 70-65 victory on the road to begin ASUN play on Thursday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
North Florida scored the first points of the game in what started as an emotionally charged first ASUN matchup of the season for the squads. Lipscomb answered when
Gyasi Powell found
Dylan Faulkner for an alley-oop to level things up.
After the game was tied 4-4, Powell nailed a deep triple, giving Lipscomb a 7-4 lead at the first media timeout of the game.
Out of the timeout, Lipscomb used tough defense and hot three-point shooting to outscore Jacksonville 10-2 for a 17-6 lead with 13:59 on the halftime clock.
Jacksonville punched back with a 5-0 run, shaving the Lipscomb lead 17-11 at the second media timeout (11:34).
The game was incredibly physical, but the Bisons remained in control over the next minutes, to keep a 22-11 lead with 8:21 remaining in the frame. Just before the under-eight media timeout,
Joe Anderson picked the pocket of a Dolphin, for his fourth steal of the night, and drove down the floor to score, pushing Lipscomb to a 24-13 lead that forced a Jacksonville timeout.
The squad's traded blows over the final minutes of the half as Lipscomb held a 38-27 lead at the half.
The pace and physicality didn't dwindle during the break and was present from the halftime whistle with Lipscomb holding a 45-35 lead at the 15:39 media timeout.
Jacksonville seemed to have some momentum, cutting the Lipscomb lead to seven with a triple, but Anderson answered with a three-ball of his own, keeping the Bisons at a 52-42 advantage just before the second media timeout of the half.
Lipscomb held strong, fighting through contact and crashing the boards to hold onto its advantage, 56-45 with 8:00 left in the second frame.
Out of the media timeout, Jacksonville went on a 10-3 run, shaving the Lipscomb lead 59-55 with 4:55 to play.
The teams battled down the stretch, trading buckets and Lipscomb led 65-61 with 1:06 left to play.
Jacksonville had the ball, down four, with a minute remaining, but the Bisons forced a turnover. Powell was fouled with 40.0 ticks on the clock. He made both shots from the charity stripe for a 67-61 advantage.
The Dolphins converted on its next trip down the floor, and stole the ball on the next Lipscomb inbounds play, shaving the Bisons' lead 67-65 with 27 seconds on the clock.
Will Pruitt was fouled on Lipscomb's next possession and drained two incredibly important free throws for a 69-65 lead with 16 seconds on the clock. Jacksonville never got another shot up and the Bisons made one more from the stripe for a 70-65 win to open ASUN play.
HERD NOTES
- Joe Anderson ended the night with a career-high seven steals. He also led Lipscomb scorers with 18 points.
- Gyasi Powell added 17 points. Other double-digit scorers included Dylan Faulkner (12) and Jacob Ognacevic (10).
- Lipscomb shot 56.4-percent from the floor while Jacksonville shot 49.0-percent.
- The Bisons won the rebounding battle 24-23.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb continues its stint in Jacksonville, Fla. with a matchup at North Florida on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.
