Lipscomb men’s basketball beats UNA to tie for first in ASUN standings

Lipscomb men’s basketball faced off against the University of North Alabama in a high-stakes game on February 20. The winner would determine the ASUN standings, as UNA was first with 12-3 and Lipscomb was tied for second with 11-4.

“We said there’s three things when you play them,” said head coach Lennie Acuff. “The paint, the glass and the free throw line.”

“They live in the paint like you saw at the end and they start driving that ball. I mean, Jackson Lane is a high level player and and they lived in the paint in the first game all the same,” he continued. “So we wanted to keep them out of the paint. We wanted to make sure we rebounded with a lot of certainty. And we didn’t want to fail.”

If Lipscomb beat the UNA Lions, they would advance to tied for first in the ASUN standings. And beat them they did, finishing out the game 75-63 over the Lions. “I thought our guys were confident and I thought they had a lot of resolve. But, you know, when you’re playing at this time of year, the next one just gets bigger,” Acuff said. “I thought our guys got off to a really good start and had a really good mindset.”

“Everyone was super focused, super prepared,” said senior forward Jacob Ognacevic. “I mean, you could tell from our shoot-around that we were really ready to go and we showed it in the game. I mean, we had a great start and that’s what helped propelled us to that win.”

The Bisons started out strong from the very beginning, never once allowing the Lions to take the lead. Senior guard Gyasi Powell started the momentum off for the Bisons, making a defensive rebound and taking the ball before the Lions could attempt to score again after a missed jump shot. Junior center Charlie Williams brought in the first points for the Bisons, making a layup to put two points on the board.

Continuing to score, the Bisons stretched their lead to 9-5 by the first media timeout, and 22-14 by the second. “Just the first 4 minutes for us, I mean, that set the tone for the game right there,” Ognacevic said. “And then we kind of kept that momentum going. I mean, when you’ve momentum on your home court, that’s so important.”

“Taking that 15 point lead in the first half, that was huge,” said senior guard Will Pruitt. “The way we started, that was big. If we can continue to get all starts like that, it’s definitely going to help us in the long run. And then we just kept winning plays… all through the second half.”

The Bisons held strong on their defense in the end of the first half, keeping the Lions from scoring any field goals or three-pointers in the last four minutes of the half. This helped boost the Bisons’ lead, drawing away from the Lions shot by shot.

By the end of the first half, the Bisons led the Lions 40-26. The Bisons had shot almost 59.3% for their field goals, and 46.15% for three pointers. This was in comparison to the Lions, who had shot 38.46% in field goals and 42.86% in three pointers. The Bisons also shot 100% in free throws in the first half, to the Lions 60%.

“First of all, Coach Murray had a great scout, great plan,” said Pruitt. “We knew what was at stake – championship, hanging a banner. So I think we all knew that going in and in practice we had the right mindset and it showed tonight.”

The Bisons continued to build their lead in the second half of the game, while still holding the Lions behind them. Though the Lions built up a little momentum in the middle of the second half, a block from junior guard Miles White shut them down.

“[One of the] highs of the game that comes to mind in the second half was when Miles jumped up and blocked that shot and pinned him on the board,” said Ognacevic. “I mean, that’s just tough. He’s a really good player, super athletic, and that was big momentum.”

Junior center Grant Asman was back in the game for the Bisons, after a few games off due to illness. “It was… nice to have Grant back,” said Acuff. “You know, he gave us some minutes. He gives us some size, gives us some physicality.”

“Grant came off the bench, provided us a huge lift,” said Pruitt. “He’s a big help on defense especially. Just brings us a spark off the bench for sure.”

Though the Lions were able to pick up a bit more momentum around the six minute mark, they were unable to catch up to the Bisons. By the 3:51 mark, they’d made it within ten points of the Bisons, but that would be as close as they got.

Free throws by senior forward Gyasi Powell and Pruitt stretched the Bisons’ lead out yet again, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Bisons were ahead 12. They finished 75-63 against the Lions, officially tying the two teams for first in the ASUN.

“I’m really proud of our group,” said Acuff. “I still think we can get better. I thought tonight we really defended, I thought… our plan was pretty good. Now, we play ’em again, we gotta be ready to adjust again.”

“I think we need to keep on getting better each game because we need to be playing our best basketball when the tournament hits,” said Ognacevic. “Which, you know, is going to be next week already, which is crazy. But I mean, tonight was a huge step for us because we showed that this is what we’re capable of when we play to the best of our ability. And we just got to keep this rolling. We got to build on this win and then get two more wins. And then when the tournament comes, just be playing our best basketball.”

“It’s called character,” Acuff said about his team. “When you have really good kids. And that’s what I told ’em – it’s just life, it’s adversity, you know, and how you respond to that is going to define you. And they’re really good kids. I appreciate everybody cheerin’ for ’em tonight but I’m serious – if everybody knew what kind of young men were in that locker room, they’d cheer harder.”

The Bisons next game will be at Austin Peay on February 24, at 6pm. This will be their second-to-last regular season game before the ASUN tournament begins. Their last home game will be on February 26 at 7pm, against Central Arkansas. This will be their senior night.

“We’ve got to have a long chin and a short memory,” said Acuff. “It’s on to the next one.”

Featured image taken by Micah Barkley.