NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb women’s basketball team lost to division leaders Jacksonville State 62-53 Thursday night at Allen Arena.
A defensive battle saw two teams compete closely for 30 minutes, but a late third-quarter run from JSU left the Bisons unable to respond.
Lipscomb was led by junior guard Casey Collier, who went 5-8 from the floor en route to 12 points. Collier, a Knoxville native, also led the team in rebounds with seven and in assists with three.
“She’s a fighter like always,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said. “She’s been battling through some tough injuries right now, she had the toughest assignment on defense today, and she was still productive offensively.”
Graduate shooting guard Sydney Shelton produced 10 points off the bench, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
Imani Martin led Jacksonville State with 18 points, but the most damage to the Bisons was done at the free throw line. The visitors from east Alabama made 18 of 21 at the charity stripe, outscoring the Bisons by 11 on free throws despite Lipscomb going a perfect 7-7.
Aside from free throws, it was mostly an ugly night of offense for both sides. Lipscomb and JSU combined for 6-23 shooting in the second quarter, highlighting what would end up being a sub-40% evening from the field for both teams.
One recurring achilles heel reared its ugly head for the second time this year–turnovers. Against an effective full-court press, Lipscomb struggled to hold onto the ball and gave away 18 points off of their 17 turnovers.
Jacksonville State coughed up the ball 12 times resulting in just six Bisons points.
The Bisons were very much within range of their high-flying opponents for the majority of the contest, especially in the first half.
First Lipscomb, then JSU held five-point leads in the first frame, but neither team could assert any long-term dominance in the first quarter. A three from freshman forward Bella Vinson brought the score to 18-16 as the first period came to a close.
JSU locked down on defense to take more control in the second quarter. With 5:37 left in the half, Shawnta Shaw knocked in a jumper that put the Gamecocks up eight at 26-18.
Junior wing Maddie Cook came off the bench to score four straight Lipscomb points, but her contribution could not get Lipscomb level.
At halftime, the 28-22 scoreline reflected both the even nature of both teams’ quality and the defensive intensity of the second quarter in particular, with just 16 points scored between the two sides in the second.
All it took was a minute and five seconds for Lipscomb to tie things up in the second half, as Collier and junior guard Blythe Pearson made three-pointers on consecutive possessions to put the score at 28 each.
JSU went up six midway through the quarter only for Lipscomb to respond in kind with the help of a three-point play from freshman point guard Jordan Peete. The St. Louis native put Lipscomb back within one at 36-35, but that was the closest Lipscomb would come to tasting the lead in the second half.
The Gamecocks ended the third quarter on a 10-0 run, putting them in full control of the game for the first time all evening.
Neither team scored for nearly three minutes to open the final frame, but when a bucket finally did go down, it came from Shaw for JSU to put the visitors up 14.
A pair of 6-0 runs down the stretch for Lipscomb kept them in the contest, with the score at 54-49 after a Shelton three-ball with 3:10 to play.
“I was really proud of how the way that team stuck together and fought for all 40 minutes,” Sumski said. “There were definitely some execution lapses defensively and offensively, but today was an improvement for us culture-wise and the way that we battled.”
Under a minute later, a layup from Collier brought the deficit to four, but a second-chance bucket at the other end was a dagger in Lipscomb’s hopes of a comeback.
Clutch foul shooting was the final nail in Lipscomb’s coffin, sealing their eighth straight loss and dropping them to 3-10 in ASUN play this year. They now sit in fifth place outright in the ASUN West Division standings, which would see them travel for an away game against the 4-seed in the East Division if results hold.
“It’s been a tough stretch, but [our players] are still together, they’re still fighting, and we still have a chance to get hot at the right time,” Sumski said. “They showed that they’re still battling, and that’s what means the most to us right now.”
Their overall record, which serves as the first ASUN tiebreaker, stands at 8-18.
If the ASUN Tournament were to begin today, Lipscomb would face East 4-seed Jacksonville at Swisher Gymnasium in Florida. They stand one game back and without the tiebreaker against Central Arkansas, who they play against February 26, the final day of the regular season.
With the win, Jacksonville State locks up first place in the West Division at 10-3 in ASUN play. They will earn a first-round bye and host an unknown opponent in the second round of the conference tournament.
Lipscomb travels to North Alabama next for a Saturday afternoon matchup in Florence, Alabama, one of three final games for Lipscomb before playoff basketball begins.
“We have the confidence to feel that all of our games are winnable games,” Sumski said, “but we also know that there is no easy game on our schedule, either. They’re looking at us the same way that we’re looking at them.”
The game will be broadcast live on The Bison and is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics