Final Score – Lipscomb: 100, North Florida: 94
Location – UNF Arena (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Records – Lipscomb: 14-8 (7-2, ASUN), North Florida: 5-17 (3-6, ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
Lipscomb Men's Basketball exploded for 64 points in the second half to defeat North Florida 100-94 despite being down nearly double-digits at halftime.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lipscomb won the opening tip and wasted little time getting on the board as
Charlie Williams scored four quick points for the Bisons to open up scoring.
North Florida got on the board with a triple and settled in. Lipscomb held a slight 8-7 advantage at the first media timeout.
Out of the timeout, UNF got out to a 17-11 advantage, but the Bisons quickly cut the lead back down to 19-17 at the under-12 timeout.
Lipscomb's offense slowed as shots weren't falling, and the Ospreys took advantage, getting back out to a 24-17 lead.
Titas Sargiunas hit a wing triple to settle things back down, but three-straight UNF triples saw the Ospreys' lead balloon to 33-23 as Kevin Carroll called a timeout with 8:14 to play in the half.
Lipscomb continued to battle, but couldn't get much momentum as the Ospreys led 40-30 at the final media timeout of the half. UNF was shooting nearly 50% from three and 45% from the field.
The Bisons would go into the halftime break at a 45-36 deficit.
The Bisons came out of the break with energy, cutting the lead 51-46 after forcing a couple of turnovers and forcing an early UNF timeout.
Out of the timeout, Lipscomb continued to chip away at the lead as the Bisons trailed 55-52 at the under-16 media timeout.
After the break, the Bisons tied the game at 57 each when
Grant Asman hit a triple with just under 14 minutes to play.
Lipscomb took its first lead since the opening minutes shortly after with a Sargiunas layup gave it a 61-60 advantage. The Bisons increased that advantage 63-60 heading into the second media timeout of the second frame.
The back-and-forth action continued through the next several minutes. North Florida tried to get some momentum back after a Lipscomb technical foul, but the Bisons stood strong and kept a slight 77-74 advantage at the under-eight timeout.
Out of the timeout,
Ethan Duncan nailed his third triple of the night, extending the Lipscomb lead 80-74. The Bisons got out to as much as an 83-77 advantage after an
Or Ashkenazi three, but North Florida's three-point shooting kept the lead from ballooning too far. Lipscomb led 85-80, and the Ospreys called a timeout with 5:52 to play.
The Bisons continued to connect at a high rate out of the break, increasing their lead 90-80 with 4:30 left. Lipscomb would eventually head into the final media timeout at a 90-83 advantage.
North Florida kept Lipscomb from running away with things, cutting the lead back down 92-88 with 2:18 to play. After a Lipscomb timeout, Duncan connected on another triple, and the Bisons led 95-88 with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.
Lipscomb got a stop on the next possession and got the ball back with 1:50 to play, up by seven. With one minute to play, Lipscomb led 97-93 and had the ball. Esmeraldo was fouled with 55.5 on the clock and missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving North Florida the ball back. The Ospreys made one free throw on their next trip down the floor, and Lipscomb led just 97-94 with about 10 second difference in the game and shot clock. Esmeraldo connected on a jumper as the shot clock expired for a 99-94 Lipscomb advantage with 11.3 seconds to play.
The Bisons converted down the stretch and came away with a 100-94 win, improving to 8-2 in ASUN play.
HERD NOTES
- Esmeraldo led the way with 24 points, one point shy of his career high and a new Lipscomb high
- Other double-digit scorers included Williams (18), Asman (14), Duncan (16) and Sargiunas (11)
- Lipscomb shot 60.6% from the field and 43.5% from deep, while UNF shot 47.7% and 43.6%, respectively
UP NEXT
Lipscomb will continue its three-game road stint at Austin Peay on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
