One missed free throw with less than a minute left to play could have changed the outcome, but when freshman Nathan Moran sank his second foul shot, the Bisons defense was able to hold off the Spartans until the final buzzer.
Moran did not lead the Bisons in any category Tuesday night, but his presence on the court was felt in the final minutes of play. The freshman played 29 minutes of the game against USC Upstate, but had just seven points.
In a game that saw 12 lead changes, it was Moran who scored one free throw to give the Bisons a two-point cushion with less than a minute to play. Moran missed his first shot, leaving the crowd deflated, but picked everyone back up as he sank the second shot.
“It just felt like another free throw,” Moran said. “I mean, missing it didn’t feel like another free throw, but it was another free throw.”
After the second shot, the Bisons played defense that drew no fouls in the final seconds, which gave the Spartans no free opportunities in the end.
At half time the score was tied, 32 all, but the Spartans took an early lead and held it through the majority of the second half. Senior Malcolm Smith drew a foul on a layup that went in to put the Bisons back in the lead, 52-51. Smith drew several hard fouls in the second half of the game by being aggressive against a tough Spartan defense. Junior Talbott Denny also played aggressively in the second half.
Moran talked about how much he has benefitted from playing with these older teammates.
“It’s been good to learn from J.C, Malcolm, Talbott, I mean everyone that’s an upperclassman has really helped me out,” Moran said.
Sophomore Josh Williams led the scoring attack for the Bisons with 18 points, and Denny led the team in rebounds with eight. Moran mentioned that at half time head coach Casey Alexander pinpointed rebounds as the area the team needed to improve on in order to win.
“That was the main thing, that we needed to rebound because they were killing us on boards, and we took that to heart,” Moran said. “We rebounded really well the second half.”
The Bisons beat the Spartans 60-58 in the end, marking their sixth straight home win. Kennesaw State will face Lipscomb next on Jan. 17 at KSU. The game will be televised on ESPN3.
Photo Courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics