NASHVILLE – Inside a packed Allen Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Lipscomb University men's basketball team pulled away from the University of North Alabama in the final three and a half minutes to win its second Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship with a 76-65 score.
With the victory, the Bisons secured the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and return to March Madness for the first time since 2018. Selection show is scheduled to take place next Sunday, March 15 at 5 p.m. on CBS.
Final Score: (1) Lipscomb 76, (2) North Alabama 65
Location: Allen Arena
Records: Lipscomb (25-9), North Alabama (24-10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tied at six with 17 minutes left in the first half, the Bisons used a
Gyasi Powell layup that sparked a major run from the home squad. With a sell out crowd behind them, they used jumpers by
Jacob Ognacevic and Charlie Willams to make it a 13-8 advantage at the first media timeout.
After Donte Bacchus cut the deficit to five for the Lions, the home team started to click. Following a second-chance 3-pointer by Powell and a triple by
Joe Anderson off a UNA turnover, the lead swelled to double figures. North Alabama was left in the cold, going nearly four minutes without a bucket.
UNA responded with back-to-back field goals to cut what was an 11-point deficit down to two, 24-22, with 7:27 left in the half, but Powell's clutch 3-pointer on the next possession kept the momentum with the Bisons.
However, North Alabama had one more gasp to try to take the lead late in the half. They pulled to within two again on free throws by Taye Fields coming out of the media timeout, but back-to-back buckets from Ognacevic and
Will Pruitt helped Lipscomb keep the advantage, 35-29, at the break.
The Lions came out strong to start the second half, knocking down four of their first eight shots. However, in the first four and half minutes, the Bisons, while not making a field goal, knocked down 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, including four from Pruitt, to keep pace.
Coming out of the media timeout, the Lions evened the game at 41 with two free throws by Fields that capped a 12-8 run. However, Pruitt responded quickly on the other end with the team's first field goal of the second stanza at the 15:10 mark.
Down 46-43, Anderson picked up a huge four-point play to give Lipscomb the 47-46 lead, but UNA kept its composure, as they made it a four-point lead with 10:50 left in the ball game on a three-point play by Bacchus.
After the Lions made it a 58-57 lead with 6:06 left, Lipscomb went on a run that slammed the door on North Alabama, but it took a couple of minutes because of good defense on both sides. At the 4:13 mark, a Powell 3-pointer gave Lipscomb the lead for good. Later, ahead 65-62, Pruitt used a second chance opportunity to hit two clutch free throws.
On the next possession, Anderson was able to pick off a bad pass from Carin Jefferson and lay it up on the other end with 2:09. He later followed with the dagger of all daggers: a 3-pointer off another UNA turnover to send the crowd into a frenzy.
KEY STATISTICS
Named the All-Tournament MVP,
Joe Anderson finished with 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and was perfect from the floor, knocking down all five of his shots and added 5-of-5 from the free throw line. On ball control, the senior added three blocks and two steals.
Will Pruitt also joined the All-Tournament Team as he made 10-of-10 from the charity stripe and finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Gyasi Powell kept the Bisons in the game for the first half, scoring 11 of his 16 points in 17 minutes, while
Jacob Ognacevic picked up 14 points and nine rebounds to earn Lipscomb's third spot on the tournament team.
UP NEXT
The Bisons will next participate in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. The 2025 NCAA Tournament Selection Show will take place next Sunday, March 16 at 5 p.m. The event will be televised on CBS.
