Team effort leads Bisons to OT thriller, two games away from NCAA tournament
Lipscomb Athletics |
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – With both teams entering the game with identical records the matchup was poised to be a barn burner and it delivered with the Lipscomb men’s basketball team taking a 76-73 win over Northern Kentucky in the opening round of the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Basketball Championship at Regents Hall.
“When you get into tournament play, you try to pour everything into it trying to win a game,” said Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander. “There were plenty of moments where Northern Kentucky was the aggressor and the better team but I’m so proud of our guys for sticking with it and finding a way to win.”
The Bisons (14-16) seemingly had the game under control in regulation with 14 seconds left, a 3-point lead and two attempts at the charity stripe by freshman Nathan Moran. Both attempts on the free throws rimmed out and the Norse (13-17) were able to get a trey from Tyler White with six seconds left to tie the game at 68 and send it into an extra frame.
Northern Kentucky gained the upper hand in the overtime when White hit yet another of his five treys with 1:43 to go to put the Norse up 73-70. The Bisons responded however with a pair of free throws from J.C. Hampton and Chad Lang and a huge jumper from Josh Williams to claim the road win.
“Talbott made a couple of huge plays down the stretch and then J.C. and Chad hit huge free throws,” said Alexander. “Josh hit a tough shot from 17 feet. It was a collective effort and I’m proud of them for finding a way to win. That’s what you have to have in a game like this.”
It was a complete team effort for the Purple and Gold with senior Martin Smith leading Lipscomb scorers with a 13-point night. He was joined in double figures by Williams with 12 and Moran with 11. Junior Talbott Denny added nine to go with eight from Hampton as the Bisons spread the scoring around.
NKU’s White led all scorers with a 19-point outing.
Herd Notes:
- The win snapped a five-game losing streak in the A-Sun tournament for the Bisons
- Thursday night saw the 14th different starting lineup of the season for the Bisons as J.C. Hampton, Josh Williams, Martin Smith, Talbott Denny and Chad Lang got the starting nod.
- Williams scored in double figures for the 32nd time in the last 33 games.
- The Bisons notched six blocks in the game tying the previous season high set at Vanderbilt.
- Tuesday night’s game marked the second-straight year that the Bisons have played in overtime in the A-Sun Championship.
Up next: The Bisons travel to North Florida on Thursday night for the A-Sun Championship Semifinals, which tips off at 6 p.m. CST. The game against the Ospreys will air on 94.9 Game 2 with Jonathan Seamon calling the action as well as ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.