The Lipscomb Lady Bisons (5-21, 2-9) lost to the Jacksonville Dolphins (16-10, 8-3) 76-55, on Monday night in Allen Arena.
Senior Chandler Cooper gave the Lady Bisons a quick three-pointer at the beginning of the game. However, the Dolphins took control on the interior and earned a 21-12 lead in the first quarter.
The Bisons were down by nine in the second quarter and the Dolphins increased their lead to 10 points at halftime, 38-28.
“We gotta work on the rhythm of our offense,” head coach Greg Brown said.
The lead increased to 18 points in the third quarter. The Dolphins were led by Jasmyn Brown and Christin Mercer, who finished with 14 and 19 points, respectively. The duo also pulled down a combined 13 rebounds.
By the start of the fourth quarter the Dolphins lead was 19 points and the score sat at 61-42. The rebounding differential was 33-19 and resulted in a 40-20 scoring advantage in the paint.
“It’s a mentality; there’s not enough reps to go through, so we’ve just got to commit and have the mentality to pursue the ball,” head coach Greg Brown said. “There’s some you’re not going to get, but you have to go every time.”
The Bisons were unable to make a run in the fourth quarter as Jacksonville stymied the Lipscomb offense.
“They disrupted the rhythm by taking ‘Lo’ [Loren Cagle] out a little bit,” Brown said. “We just gotta work on the simple things as far as execution and movement offensively.”
The Lipscomb offense was held to 34% shooting from the field and just 4-11 from three.
“They’re solid, they’re athletic, and they’re strong,” Brown said. “There’s got to be a huge mindset to get the ball.”
The Dolphins ended the game with a +19 rebounding differential and held the Lady Bisons at 26 rebounds.
The Lady Bisons are still alive for the sixth seed in the A-Sun Tournament with three games left on the schedule.
The Lady Bisons play at Stetson on Saturday, Feb. 20.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics