After last minute cancellations and rescheduling, Lipscomb women’s basketball hosted the Morehead State Eagles in a Thursday afternoon matinee matchup and survived a series of runs to pull off the 79-73 win.
In a game that involved a total of six lead changes and three ties, Lipscomb jumped out to an early lead 11-2 going into the first media break. The Eagles quickly adjusted to a full court press which forced seven early turnovers from the Bisons, and Morehead State took the lead into the second quarter.
Lipscomb head coach Lauren Sumski said, “I wish we could have gotten rid of the last five minutes of the first quarter.”
The Eagles continued their scoring, including a couple uncharacteristic threes, to complete the 19 point turnaround. Morehead State then led the Bisons by nine, before Lipscomb switched to a zone defense and went on a 19-0 run of their own, led by key shots from redshirt junior guard Sydney Shelton, who shot her 14 points in the first half.
The Bisons’ success from their second quarter changes marked a big change from a year ago. Coach Sumski attributed the 19-0 run to her girls doing a really good job sticking with and trusting the plan.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” said senior forward Taylor Clark. “Our biggest growth from last year to this year is withstanding runs.”
But it was the Eagles who came out stronger in the second half rapidly cutting into the Bisons’ 12 point with an 8-0 before taking a five point lead of their own into the fourth quarter, led by junior forward Ellie Jo Johnson, who finished the afternoon with 13 points.
For much of the second half, Lipscomb’s shooting went cold and Morehead State held on their lead behind four three pointers from senior guard Jazzmyn Elston.
After starting the fourth quarter shooting 10% from the field, Lipscomb’s senior leader Clark stepped up finishing with 24 points, including the go-ahead runner with 40 seconds left in the game. After a series of free throws from junior guard Jane Deason and sophomore guard Jalyn Holcomb, the Bisons held on to win a nail bitter in Allen Arena.
After the game, Coach Sumski said, “Last year we would have been in trouble…this year we have learned to embrace the hard. Basketball is a game of stick-to-a-tiveness.”
The Lady Bisons play Converse College Friday afternoon at 2 PM CT in Allen Arena.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Sports.