Things are looking up for the Lady Bisons as they grabbed their first ASUN victory against North Florida in UNF Arena Saturday afternoon.
In a tight game with 16 lead-changes, junior Loren Cagle took matters into her own hands as she sliced through the lane with a couple of seconds remaining in the final quarter and nailed a game-winning layup to clinch the victory 60-58.
The game was tied at 58, and the Lady Bisons were without their two leading scorers due to foul trouble. This game-winner gave Lipscomb a much-needed boost after a slow start to the season.
The last time the Lady Bisons defeated an ASUN team was in 2015 against North Florida.
Lipscomb started off the game strong, jumping ahead 14-11 in the first quarter. Shooting only 27% from the field, the Bisons hit some shots that had not been falling in previous games.
The Lady Bisons were able to stretch out the Ospreys defense and play to their strengths, utilizing the fast-breaks they were given.
Despite UNF’s height advantage, athleticism and length, the Lady Bison’s did an excellent job of sticking to their fundamentals and blocking out.
The second quarter brought on a drought for Lipscomb. In addition to an almost scoreless quarter, Lipscomb was plagued by careless turnovers. This lapse in play allowed UNF to jump ahead 24-14.
Coach Brown must have said something at the half that woke the women up because they came out hot in the third quarter. Alex Banks, who led with 22 points, broke the shooting-slump and fired in back-to-back threes that gave Lipscomb a spark. Banks was 4-4 from behind the arc and finished with seven rebounds.
“I felt good going into the locker room at the half when we heard the team talking about what they needed to do and what they had done well,” Brown said. “They did a very good job of executing and playing with poise to start the second half.”
The success of the fourth quarter is largely due to a secret weapon coming off the bench. Meredith Lovely came in the game and fired in three triples to add to the Lady Bison’s momentum.
“They also made several stops and scores when they had to at the end of the game,” Brown said. “Meredith and Alex made some rhythm threes. At the end of the game, we drew up a little screening action to force rotation, and then Lo just made a play.”
Cagle’s ability to get up the floor quickly and find the open three-point shooters allowed Lipscomb to work its way back into the game and spread out the North Florida defense. Cagle finished the game with seven points, seven rebounds and six assists. Lipscomb scored 19 points from the bench, and UNF scored nine.
The Lady Bisons will remain in the Sunshine State to face the Jacksonville Dolphins at 6 p.m. Monday night.
Photos courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics