ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Lipscomb University Women's Basketball team rallied from an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter, but Mississippi Valley State University held on for the 72-68 win on Sunday evening from the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.
Final Score: Mississippi Valley State 72, Lipscomb 68
Location: Itta Bena, Mississippi (R.W. Harrison HPER Complex)
Records: Lipscomb (2-3), Mississippi Valley State (1-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bisons trailed the Delta Devilettes by five points with 3:41 left in the first quarter, but after a
Molly Heard 3-pointer and free throws from
Hannah Richardson flipped the lead back to Lipscomb, 14-13, with 36 seconds left in the period.
Elena Bertrand capped off the opening quarter with a three-point play to increase the lead to 17-13 after 10 minutes.
Mississippi Valley State took advantage of Lipscomb's poor shooting and turnovers in the second quarter. The Delta Devilettes scored nine of their 17 points off turnovers. However, Lipscomb connected on 6-of-8 from the charity stripe and trimmed the deficit to 30-29 at the half.
Unfortunately for the Bisons, the hot shooting continued for the Delta Devilettes in the third, connecting on 10-of-21 from the floor and scored 22 points. MVSU swelled the lead to 11 with a Keanna Coburn hook shot with 1:51 left.
However, thanks to a 9-of-10 performance at the charity stripe and a late
Molly Heard triple, the Bisons made it a two-score game, 52-46, after 30 minutes.
Finishing the third quarter on a 5-0 run, the Bisons continued that into the fourth, scoring five straight to open the period on an
Addison Melton 3-pointer and two free throws by
McKayla Miller.
MVSU did try to pull away with a quick 8-3 run to lead 60-54, but Bertrand took off. Trailing 60-54, she scored nine of the next 11 for the Bisons to help her team take the 66-64 lead with under four minutes remaining.
Later, trailing 67-66, Miller briefly gave the Bisons the lead at the line, making both of her free throws. However, on the next possession, Janiya Jones knocked down a huge triple to essentially seal the deal.
Lipscomb did have the opportunity to force overtime late, but two missed 3-point attempts was enough for Mississippi Valley State to pick up the win.
KEY STATISTICS
Elena Bertrand led the Bisons with a career-high 21 points, with 12 points coming in the final period. Connecting on four shots from downtown and adding 7-of-9 from the charity stripe on the afternoon, she also added three assists and two steals.
Hannah Richardson scored nine of her 13 points from the free throw line, while
Molly Heard also scored 10 points on two 3-pointers and four free throws.
McKayla Miller was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and four dimes.
On ball control,
Taylor Bowen grabbed 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, and
Hope Counts swatted away three shots off the bench.
HERD NOTES
The Bisons knocked down 27 free throws on Sunday, marking the most in a game since 2019. The 27 makes landed in the top five of the program's record book in the NCAA Division I era as the third-most in a game.
UP NEXT
The Bisons will return to Nashville and will next make the two-mile trek to Belmont to face the Bruins on Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. from the Curb Event Center.
