The Lipscomb women’s basketball season ended on Friday with a 80-51 loss at Jacksonville in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
The Lady Bisons (5-25) entered the matchup as the seventh seed in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament where they met seconded seeded Jacksonville.
The Lady Bisons were able to keep the game within single-digits in the first half, trailing by just nine points at halftime. The Dolphins turned it on in the second half, outscoring Lipscomb 43-23.
“We knew we were capable of playing with anybody in the conference,” head coach Greg Brown said. “It’s the sustaining of it that we really have to work on. Knowing that, I didn’t have to tell them anything to fire them up before the game. They were ready.”
Second chance points proved to play a big factor in the Dolphin win as they converted their 16 offensive rebounds into 28 points. The Lady Bisons were also able to grab 16 offensive rebounds but only managed to turn theirs into two points.
Senior Ashley Southern led the Lady Bisons off the bench, nearly picking up a double-double in her final game in a Lipscomb uniform with 14 points and nine rebounds. Alex Banks was the only other Lady Bison to reach double figures, contributing 12 points in the loss.
The rest of the Lady Bisons struggled from the field, however, shooting just 27 percent on 61 shots. They were unable to find their range from behind the arc as well, hitting just four 3-pointers.
“I thought our effort was great. I thought our execution was good for the most part; we just didn’t finish enough shots,” Brown said. “We can’t shoot 27 percent from three, but part of that is a credit to Jacksonville. They’re one of the top defenses in the league, and I think one of the top 25 based on field goal percentage in the nation.”
Jacksonville (20-10) shot 52 percent from the field, led by Brandi Buie with 20 points and Atlantic Sun First Team All-Conference member Sherranda Redick with 15 points.
Joining Southern in their final game as a Lady Bison were Kelli Smith and Chandler Cooper. Smith chipped in five points and four rebounds on the night. Cooper only managed 11 minutes in the game due to an ankle injury.
“The immediate thoughts always go to your seniors after a tournament game,” Brown said. “You think about what they brought to their program, the leadership they provided, and how they represented the program as well. We’re thankful for them, and thankful for the memories they’ve given us.”
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics