Just three games into the ASUN slate, the Lipscomb women’s basketball team has already equaled its total of six victories from last season. That includes two conference wins and three victories in the last four contests.
What’s been the difference this time around? Coach Greg Brown said he believes it’s a combination of new coaches, new personnel and a focus on continual improvement.
“We’ve tried to teach a growth mentality,” Brown said. “We played some tough games in the non-conference schedule and tried to learn from each of them. [The team] is putting some of those lessons in action now, and they’re reaping the benefits.”
The Lady Bisons (6-12, 2-1 ASUN) are fresh off a 73-69 win at North Florida on Monday, when senior guard Loren Cagle poured in a career-high 31 points.
Cagle’s offensive production has nearly doubled – she’s up to 17.4 points per game this year versus 8.9 points per game last season – thanks in part to the emergence of young point guards like Lauren Rau, Lexi Manos and Carleigh Short.
“Last year we relied on [Cagle] a lot,” Brown said. “Rau was sick and [Manos and Short] were both freshmen. We’ve been able to take the pressure off Cagle and that’s allowed her to be more aggressive.”
In addition to Cagle’s improvement, redshirt freshman Emily Kmec has challenged opposing defenses with her height and shooting ability. The Carmel, Indiana, native is 47-of-133 (35 percent) from beyond the arc and is second on the team in rebounds with 79.
“Kmec has come in and changed some of our dynamics by being able to stretch the floor,” Brown said. ”Our lineup has given teams a different look to think about this year.”
New assistant coaches Aaron Holland and Hannah Phillips have also provided a boost for the program, according to Brown.
“They bring a ton of energy – that’s the biggest change that the girls have seen,” Brown said. “Hannah played for me my first year [at Lipscomb], so she brings a sense of school pride.”
After suffering a 101-57 thrashing at St. Louis on Dec. 17, Brown said he saw a change in his team.
“We struggled in the St. Louis game,” Brown said. “I saw a different side of them in practice heading into the Vanderbilt game, which was their first chance to improvement.”
Lipscomb rebounded with a 61-57 road win at Tennessee Tech on Dec. 21, before nearly knocking off Vanderbilt in a narrow 92-82 loss at Memorial Gym. Since then, the team’s lone blemish in four games was a 70-48 defeat at Jacksonville last Saturday.
And for the first time since Brown’s tenure began six years ago, the Lady Bisons are playing for much more than pride. Lipscomb currently sits in fourth place in the conference standings and will play four of its next five games at Allen Arena, with a trip to NJIT (Jan. 27) sandwiched between two homestands.
First up is third-place Stetson (11-8, 2-1) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., followed by first-place Florida Gulf Coast (17-3, 3-0 ASUN) on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s much more about what we’re doing,” Brown said. “I know it sounds cliché, but we’re emphasizing the things that we can control.”
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics