Injuries continued to plague the Lipscomb women’s basketball team in an 81-60 loss to the second-best team in the ASUN as part of a doubleheader against North Alabama.
Sophomore guard Taylor Clark, who currently leads the team in scoring, was ruled out Friday with an undisclosed injury. On the flipside, junior guard Lauren Rau returned to the starting lineup after sitting out on Tuesday. Lipscomb coach Greg Brown said her “intensity” made an immediate impact in a strong first half for the Lady Bisons.
The Lions’ (16-2, 7-1 ASUN) sophomore forward Brittany Panetti came into Saturday’s matchup boasting the highest points-per-game mark in the conference, but two early fouls put her on the bench and gave the Lady Bisons (2-19, 0-8 ASUN) early success.
Despite UNA junior guard Emma Wallen’s 17 first-quarter points, including five three-pointers, Lipscomb was down by only six at the end of the first quarter.
Entering the second quarter, the Lady Bisons went on a 10-1 run led by freshman guard Keely Morrow, who would finish as the Lady Bisons’ leading scorer with 11 points. Part of the second quarter success was fueled by Lipscomb’s points off turnovers, generating its first lead going into halftime since December.
But coming back from halftime, the Lions finally got into rhythm, led by Panetti’s return to the game. The second quarter script was flipped, and it was the Lions who went on a scoring run.
Wallen also made an impact after scoring zero points in the second quarter with her three-point shooting. She finished the day with a career-high 30 points and was 8-of-13 from behind the arc.
The Lions totaled 12 three-pointers compared to the Lady Bisons’ four, giving UNA a 24-point advantage in threes.
After taking an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter, the Lions never let the Lady Bisons get close. In the fourth quarter, the smallest margin was 17 points in favor of UNA.
Lipscomb extended its losing streak to 18 consecutive games, the longest in NCAA women’s basketball.
The Lady Bisons travel to Jacksonville on Tuesday to take on North Florida at 6 p.m. CT. They return home next Saturday, Feb. 9, to take on Jacksonville as part of another doubleheader beginning at 1:30 p.m.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Although the coach made himself available for comment, his quotes were lost due to technical problems
Photo by Lipscomb Athletics