If you watched the Lady Bisons two days ago, you’ll remember the entourage of three-pointers they put up against North Florida.
Tonight was a completely different story, as Lipscomb (10-16, 6-5 ASUN) went 0-of-5 on three-pointers in a 70-63 home loss to the Jacksonville Dolphins (19-7, 9-2 ASUN).
The Lady Bisons lost their grip on both ends of the floor in the second half and never quite caught up.
Lipscomb head coach Greg Brown acknowledged the disappointment of the loss and said there is “room to grow,” but he also sounded optimistic.
“I like the way we executed,” Brown said, “you know, it’s been a lot of games and quick turnaround right here, so, proud of their effort, keeping their legs underneath them.”
At the end of the first half, both teams were locked in a 30-30 defensive staring contest.
The second half began with Lipscomb striking on a Loren Cagle score to put the Lady Bisons up by 2. It was a quick score that, for a moment, made it seem like Lipscomb might be able to establish momentum.
And then Jacksonville held Lipscomb scoreless for the next 6 minutes and 56 seconds.
Lipscomb slid in and out of the competition throughout the rest of the game but could never regain the lead. Down 51-43 with just under 8 minutes to play in the fourth period, the Lady Bisons tried to rally up a comeback.
The closest Lipscomb got was a 53-51 Jacksonville lead with 5:40 left in the game.
“We’re not measuring that one by the score,” Brown said, “we’re measuring by the amount of improvement we made and the amount of effort and execution they put into it, and with that I’m very proud of ’em.”
But ultimately it was both the Lady Bisons’ inability to shoot or score from the three-point line (0-of-5) combined with their inability to convert on free throws (15-of-29) that did them in. Jacksonville also out-rebounded Lipscomb 45-34.
“Well, they made a concerted effort to take the three away,” Brown said, talking about how his team is “used to taking threes and hitting threes.”
Fouls were heavily featured in the game, with Jacksonville committing 25 and Lipscomb committing 23.
Senior guard Loren Cagle led the team in scoring, going 10-of-18 on field goals and 8-of-11 on free throws for 28 points. Sophomore guard Lauren Rau was second with 18 points, and led with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
For Jacksonville, senior forward Kayla Gordon tacked on 21 points. She converted on a career-high 11-of-14 on free throws, while adding a team-high 14 rebounds. Junior guard Lindsay John led with 6 assists.
Gordon fouled out for Jacksonville, while senior guard Auriana Broughton fouled out for Lipscomb.
The Lady Bisons travel to FGCU on Saturday, February 17, at 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics