The Lady Bisons held off the Freed-Hardeman Lions during the first exhibition game of the season in Allen Arena on Monday.
The game started with Lipscomb’s first possession ending with a three-point shot by Sara Bliss that fell perfectly through the basket. From then on, the Lions kept it relatively close, but the Bisons pulled away in the final minutes to make it 68-57 as the final score.
Three players posted double-digit numbers and even a double-double to aid the Lady Bisons in their victory.
Ashley Southern, a redshirt sophomore from Tuscumbia, Ala., posted the double-double. Southern scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds.
“To be honest, I was really nervous, but my teammates helped me get into a rhythm in the second half,” Southern said.
Bliss, a junior from Pleasant View, Tenn., led the team in scoring with her 20 points. True freshman Maya Dillard from Dillard, Ga., was close behind, scoring 18 points, ten of which came from free throws.
Turnovers were a common theme of the game. Both teams combined for a total 40 turnovers–13 from Lipscomb, 27 from Freed-Hardeman.
“It was a little ugly early,” head coach Greg Brown said. “I thought execution-wise, toward the end, we got a little bit of flow.”
The Lady Bisons will continue to work on their weaknesses, and Southern said that the team will continue to highlight what works for them.
“You can expect a lot of different things from last year. We’ll be really hard screeners and we’re going to hustle on every play.”
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics