The Lady Bisons lost 85-51 in a matchup with the Tennessee Lady Vols Sunday afternoon in Allen Arena.
The Lady Vols came into the game ranked 14th in the nation after ending a two-game losing streak, a rarity for the perennial national championship contenders.
Lipscomb hung close with Tennessee for the first ten minutes of game action. A three from senior Sara Bliss gave
the Lady Bisons a 3-2 lead, their first and only, at the 17:21 mark.
The deficit remained in the single digits until halfway through the first quarter thanks to feisty, spirited defense from Lipscomb and a number of missed shots for both teams.
“I knew we were capable of it. You don’t know what to expect when playing a team of that caliber,” Lipscomb head coach Greg Brown said, “We knew if we could try to limit possessions and play physical and play good positioning, we’d be in a good position.”
Once the Lady Vols found their groove late in the first half, the Lady Bisons struggled to hang with the size and strength of Tennessee
The Lady Bisons came out strong in the second half, even outscoring Tennessee for the first ten minutes of the second.
“We thought we played with a lot of energy in the first half. We just had to continue to be aggressive, and do the things we practiced. I thought they did a very good job of that,” Brown said.
Junior Ashley Southern surpassed her per game averages of 15.7 points and 8 rebounds, both good enough for third place in the Atlantic Sun. She finished the game with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Freshman Emily Eubank notched 8 points in the game, and junior Danay Fothergill added 7.
Senior Cierra Burdick led the way for the Lady Vols. She accumulated a double-double of her own with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Brown believes that if the team plays at that same level for their upcoming homestead, then the results will be different.
“If you do the same things and play with the same level of intensity against a non-top 15 team, it’s going to put you in a good position.” Brown said.
The Lady Bisons will be back in action with back-to-back home games on Dec. 16 and 18 against Jackson State and Tennessee Tech.
Photo from Lipscomb Athletics