It was Star Wars night Saturday in Allen Arena, but the Force was not with the Bisons.
Lipscomb lost 75-66 to North Florida, with first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference on the line.
This game brought in over 3,000 fans — one of the largest crowds of the season.
The Bisons entered the first half strong, with forward Malcolm Smith scoring the first goal of the game. The Bisons ended the first half with a 29-19 lead.
“The first 20 minutes are easily the best 20 minutes we’ve played all year on both ends of the floor,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “We made very few mistakes in the first half.”
In the second half, North Florida led by 13 points, sparked by 24 from Beau Beech in the second half. Beech led all scorers with 27 points.
The Bisons did not go down easily, cutting the UNF lead to single figures.
Guard Josh Williams led the team with 21 points. He has double figures in 21 of his last 22 games.
“Josh is playing so hard,” Alexander said. “He wants the ball. He wants to be the guy and deliver.”
Also in double figures for the Bisons were Smith with 13, followed by guard J.C. Hampton with 12 and forward Talbott Denny with 11.
The men’s basketball team was 0-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, but this year the team is 4-1 — the best conference start in the history of the program.
“Nobody’s happy about the result by any stretch, but this loss is better than several of the wins we’ve had,” Alexander said. “Two teams are trying to win just as equally.”
Lipscomb’s fourth annual Adoption Rally was highlighted at halftime. All ticket sales from Saturday’s game will be given to families who are trying to adopt children from around the world.
The Bisons are on the road for their next two games. The team will take on Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday and Stetson on Saturday.
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Carousel photo and gallery by Sam Webb