George Brammeier and Rob Marberry scored 15 points apiece to lead the Lipscomb men’s basketball team to a 99-70 drubbing of Piedmont on Tuesday in Allen Arena.
The Bisons (2-1) successfully pounded the ball inside all night, outscoring the Lions (0-1) 46-20 in the paint.
“Getting the ball inside is always a part of our game plan and it needs to be where we start,” coach Casey Alexander said after the win. “Rob and George had a lot of success tonight and anytime they’re scoring effectively that’s gonna be good for the rest of our offense.”
Lipscomb used a dynamic attack offensively to gain the victory, with seven players scoring in double figures. Brammeier and Marberry were followed by Freshman guard Michael Buckland and Sophomore Garrison Mathews, who both scored 13 points. Guards Josh Williams and Aaron Korn scored 11 each for Lipscomb, while Freshman guard Kenny Cooper finished with 10 points.
The Bisons also shared the ball well, assisting on 29 of their 38 field goals.
“29 assists has to be close to a team record and seven guys in double-figures also, so I was really pleased with our offense,” Alexander said. “It shows that we have a lot of versatility and punch offensively.”
Sophomore forward Eli Pepper made his first appearance of the season in the contest, playing limited minutes as he returned from an ankle injury. He finished with seven points on three-of-four shooting and corralled a team-leading 10 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action.
“We didn’t really have a plan for him, and we knew he wasn’t going to play his normal role,” Alexander said. “He’s an important player and had a great off-season, so it was a shame that he was injured right out of the gate.”
The Bisons shot 57.6% from the field and 44.8% from three-point range while holding the Lions to just 38.1% from the field. Lipscomb won the battle of the boards 42-34 in the game and bested the Dolphins in bench points 45-30.
Despite the lopsided score, the Bisons were sloppy for a stretch as Piedmont maintained a 20-point deficit for most of the second half. Lipscomb committed 16 turnovers in the game and 12 in the second half alone.
“I think defensively we got exposed when we were a little fatigued, and it was more of not being as sharp mentally,” Alexander said. “But in the two wins (this season), I thought our approach was very good. We have to have that edge when we’re playing someone who’s on our level, so that’s where we need to learn and get better.”
Next up, the Bisons will travel to New York on Friday for a three-game slate in the Johnny Bach Classic hosted by Fordham. They will face St. Peters on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Fairleigh Dickinson at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday before finishing with a match-up against Fordham at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics