For the Bisons men’s basketball team, this Friday night started out a little slow, but the end was anything but slow.
Conference foe Northern Kentucky traveled to Allen Arena to play the victorious Bisons, who won the conference game 70-66.
Northern Kentucky was first to get on the score board, and Bisons head coach Casey Alexander didn’t waste any time pulling out all five of his starters and putting in a fresh five. It didn’t take long after that for junior Malcolm Smith to get two three point plays (two baskets plus free throws) and for the momentum to start shifting in favor of the Bisons.
“My teammates were really looking for me. We took advantage of the size mix-match down low,” Malcolm Smith said. “I focused on posting up hard, attacking the basket quick, and when I got to the foul line, knocking them down.”
Going into halftime, senior Khion Sankey made a shot right at the buzzer making it 35-29 in favor of Lipscomb. That wasn’t the only big shot of the game as Martin Smith knocked down a 3 pointer with 34.8 seconds left giving the Bisons a 67-63 score.
“It was a huge shot,” Malcolm Smith said. “That made it a two possession game. It helped us put the game away.”
During time out, Coach Alexander drew a play up, but sometimes, once you’re out on the court, things don’t go exactly as planned.
“That’s not the play we drew up, but we improvised well,” Alexander said. “J.C Hampton hit Martin right on the money, and he stepped up and hit the shot. He’s made a lot of big shots for us.”
Malcolm Smith ended with 21 points along side his brother Martin Smith, who had 18 points. Alexander says a win like this can really help build a team up.
“Any win is going to keep you’re confidence up. It’s important to keep that going,” Alexander said. “It’s our job now to be ready, be prepared and win the next game.”
With two regular season games left on the schedule, Lipscomb will be back in Allen Arena Thursday, Feb. 27, to play Florida Gulf Coast.
“We’ve got to continue to keep doing what we are doing, sticking together and getting better in practice,” Smith said.