Final Score – Lipscomb: 89, Cincinnati: 62
Location – Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Records – Lipscomb: 7-6, Cincinnati: 8-5
THE SHORT STORY
Despite a quick start, the Bisons were defeated 89-62 at Cincinnati on Monday night in its final non-conference game of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As both teams settled in after an extended Christmas break, the first few possessions were scoreless, but Lipscomb got on the board first when Titas Sarguinas kissed the ball off the glass and in for the first bucket of the matchup.
Lipscomb's defense gave Cincinnati trouble in the opening minutes, with the Bearcats' only point coming from the charity stripe in its first four trips down the floor.
The Bisons extended its lead with scores on its next two possessions with a pair of buckets from
Charlie Williams for a 7-1 advantage and a Bearcats timeout.
Out of the timeout, Cincinnati finally scored its first field goal of the night, nearly five minutes into the contest.
Cincinnati settled in and scored six-straight, tying the game at 7 apiece before
Mateo Esmeraldo would get Lipscomb back on the board. The Bearcats began connecting from behind the arc as Cincinnati held an 18-12 advantage at the under-12 media timeout.
Lipscomb's offense stalled, allowing a 14-1 Bearcats run, which saw its deficit grow 24-13 with just over eight to play in the half.
However, just before the under-eight media timeout, Lipscomb forced a turnover that resulted in an easy basket and earned a Cincinnati shot clock violation to regain some momentum.
Out of the timeout,
Ross Candelino drained a triple, cutting the Cincinnati lead 24-18. Cincinnati, however, immediately mounted an 8-0 run, extending its lead back out 32-18.
Lipscomb didn't score for the final three minutes of the half and trailed 44-24 at halftime.
After the break, Cincinnati scored six quick points, forcing a Lipscomb timeout just 49 seconds into the second half.
Grant Asman began to settle the Bisons into the half with a pair of triples that got Lipscomb back in the flow of the game.
The Bisons continued to struggle with the UC size, unable to mount any meaningful runs, and trailed 67-39 at the under-12 media timeout of the second half.
Lipscomb started to find some continuity offensively, making five of its last seven field goals before the next media timeout as it trailed 80-52.
Candelino was Lipscomb's hot hand, especially in the second half. He had 20 points on three triples off the bench with 5:22 to play.
Cincinnati proved to be too much for Lipscomb, ultimately falling 89-62 to round out its non-conference slate.
HERD NOTES
- Lipscomb shot 39% to Cincinnati's 48%
- The Bisons were outrebounded 45-31
- Lipscomb's leading scorer and rebounder was Ross Candelino with 20 points and eight boards
UP NEXT
The Bisons will return to Nashville to open up ASUN play. Lipscomb will host Jacksonville on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. CT.
