The Lipscomb Bisons survived a spooky first half from the Transylvania Pioneers to win 74-63.
The Pioneers hung close in the first half, but the Bisons were able to expand the lead once they hit the court in the second frame.
“They were making tough shots at the end of the shot clock,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “And that’s really all we can ask for our defense to do. It’d be nice to get a turnover, but to force them to plat offense for a long time and then throw up a couple of prayers, but beyond that they just played well. They played with a lot of confidence.”
The Bisons second half surge benefitted from a pressure defense that forced the Pioneers into committing numerous turnovers, several of which led to quick transition baskets for Lipscomb. The fast-paced offense combined with the suffocating defense had the Bisons clicking in the second half.
Freshman Nate Moran led all scorers on the night with 16 to go along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
Sophomore Josh Williams almost notched a double-double in the game with 15 points and 8 rebounds.
Lipscomb managed to keep a balanced attack for entirety of the game. Nine Bisons in all scored during the game, including three in double figures. Sophomore Brett Wishon was the other Bison in double-figures with 10 alongside Williams and Moran.
“We’ll play the one’s who deserve to play,” Alexander said, “If that’s eight, we’ll play eight. If that’s 12 or 13 we’ll do that.”
Senior Malcolm Smith finished the game with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Transylvania lived and died not by the blood of their victims, but from the three-point line. They nailed five in the first half on ten attempts, but went 4-21 after halftime. Nine out of their fifteen baskets for the night came from behind the arc.
Freshman Sam Sergeant had a solid all-around effort for the Pioneers, putting up a stat line of 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Bisons will be back in action Monday night at Belmont for part two of Battle of the Boulevard.
In the women’s game, the Lady Bisons fell to Tennessee State University 73-55.
Junior Danay Fothergill was the only Lady Bison to finish in double digits for the game. She scored 11 points on the night.
Senior Sara Bliss had a solid all-around game. She finished the game with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
Turnovers hindered Lipscomb throughout the game. TSU scored 26 points off of 28 Lipscomb turnovers.
The Lady Bisons’ next game will be Tuesday night at Western Kentucky.
Photo from Lipscomb Atletics