The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost 94-65 in a drubbing by archrivals Belmont Thursday night at the Curb Event Center in Nashville.
In perhaps the team’s worst display all season, the Bisons were run off the court by the Bruins and beaten on both sides of the court in front of 3,800 fans.
The Bisons sorely missed the presence of 4th-year center Ahsan Asadullah; the Atlanta-born post player suffered an injury in November at Tennessee Tech and did not appear for the second straight game.
Third-year head coach Lennie Acuff played true freshman forward Grant Osman, hailing from Kimberly, Wisconsin, in his first game of the season. In so doing, Acuff voided Osman’s eligibility for a redshirt season, leading to rumors that Asadullah could be out of action on a longer-term basis than was initially expected. Currently, there is no official timetable for Asadullah’s return.
Offensively, two bright spots were Valparaiso transfer Jacob Ognacevic and graduate forward Parker Hazen. Ognacevic, a Sheboygan, Wisconsin-born power forward, put in 32 minutes and scored 20 points on 6-11 shooting, also leading the team in rebounds with 8. Hazen added 15 points and 4 rebounds, going 3 of 4 from the free throw line.
In an abysmal defensive showing, the Bisons allowed 41 three-point attempts by Belmont, who converted on 17 of them for 51 points from behind the arc. All told, Belmont shot the ball 25 more times than Lipscomb, and they scored at an effective 49% rate.
Leading the way for the home team was JaCobi Wood, who scored 17 on the night. Ben Sheppard, Nick Muszynksi, and Luke Smith each joined Wood with double-digit points totals.
In a continuation of a common issue for the Bisons this season, turnovers were a serious concern. Lipscomb coughed up possession 18 times, leading to 21 points for Belmont.
Lipscomb never led on the night, only managing to tie the game twice in the first two minutes. Belmont jumped out to a 22-7 lead in just 7 minutes, and the scoreline only grew worse for the Bisons.
After trading baskets in the middle of the half, Lipscomb allowed Belmont to turn on the jets again, giving the Bruins an 11-0 run to help extend the advantage to 47-26 after the first half.
In a largely unimportant second half, Lipscomb came out and made the same mistakes, allowing another 11-0 run for the hosts that ended with 14 minutes to play, giving Belmont a 64-36 lead.
The Bruins would stretch the score to 88-52, a game-high deficit, with under 5 to play. The final minutes played out uneventfully, as both sides knew the result had been decided long before.
With the loss, Lipscomb drops to 5-3 on the year and 1-3 away from Allen Arena. They head back home to face Chattanooga, another mid-major power, 4 pm Sunday. That match will be broadcast live on The Bison, Lipscomb’s on-campus radio station.
Gallery by Kathryn Farris