FLORENCE, Alabama – The Lipscomb women’s basketball team broke an eight-game losing streak by defeating the North Alabama Lions 70-59 Saturday afternoon, their first-ever win in Florence.
The Bisons only played seven players in the game, five of which totaled more than 35 minutes, and all 70 points came from the starting lineup.
With starting point guard Casey Collier out with injury, the starting lineup stepped up in her absence with four players scoring in double digits. Knocking down 25 of their 55 attempts, the Bisons made 45.5% of their shots.
“You can’t completely take out the part that she plays on our team because she’s taught us so much about leadership…I think all of us had to step into the ‘Casey-role’ today,” junior guard Blythe Pearson said, noting Collier’s absence.
Pearson, hailing from Overland Park, Kansas, earned a double-double by tallying a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt junior Maddie Cook also had a strong resume with 16 points, eight rebounds, and a game-high four assists. Sophomore Jalyn Holcomb and freshman Jordan Peete also scored in double digits with 13 and 12 points respectively.
Pearson had an electric first quarter as she contributed to 10 of Lipscomb’s 15 points on a 4-5 shooting performance. Cook ignited Pearson’s efficient quarter by drawing two defenders and assisting to a wide-open Pearson for three.
Lipscomb would turn a 13-7 North Alabama lead to a tied score of 15-15 at the end of the quarter.
Freshman Skyler Gill and transfer student Patrycja Jaworska played efficiently and led the Lions with 14 points each. Jaworska made a three-pointer to take a 30-20 lead in the second quarter to take the largest lead of the game at the time.
However, Peete converted six points on contested layups and drew an offensive foul off a moving screen from the Lions. The Bisons cut the score to 30-26 by half.
Cook and Peete continued their impressive performances with 10 of the Bisons’ 18 points in the third quarter. Keeping the score close, the Bisons trailed by only three points after three quarters.
“We’ve been really tough on [Cook] about her shot selection, [but today] she got all the way to the rim and finished strong, and that was by far the difference in the game…that’s why we won today,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said.
A Holcomb field goal assisted by Cook gave the Bisons its first lead of the game at 53-51. Peete also continued her strong play on both sides of the court as she blocked a shot from Lion’s guard Hina Suzuki, and also drew an and-one foul to take a six point lead.
The Bisons maintained the lead with a strong defensive effort and an 8-0 run, finishing with a comfortable 70-59 lead.
“We’ve been waiting for this feeling for a long time [and] it took a lot of hard work…I saw our work in practice pay off at the end of that game,” explained Pearson.
With the win, Lipscomb improves to 9-18 (4-10 ASUN) on the year. North Alabama drops to 12-14 (7-7 ASUN).
Lipscomb currently sits fifth in the West Division standings, behind fourth-place Central Arkansas on tiebreaker rules. The top four seeds in the division will automatically secure a home game in the ASUN Tournament.
Lipscomb travels to Bellarmine 7 p.m. Thursday before hosting Central Arkansas 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Those matches will both be broadcast live on The Bison, Lipscomb’s on-campus radio station.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics