Lipscomb men’s basketball dominates No. 1 ASUN Austin Peay

On Saturday, Jan. 17, Allen Arena was packed in anticipation of the Lipscomb men’s basketball team’s showdown with the No. 1 ASUN team, Austin Peay. That showdown did not disappoint, and eventually resulted in Lipscomb’s victory, 82-78.

Nearly 3,000 people filled the seats in Allen Arena, many of them local youth wearing kids’ jerseys, who lined the court to high five the players during the opening lineup.

The game began with points for Lipscomb, graduate student forward Grant Asman making a layup in the paint to put two on the board for the Bisons. After that layup, a trade-the-lead dance began, as the two teams scored time after time, inching past each other by one point or two for the first six minutes of the game.

Lipscomb redshirt junior guard Ethan Duncan finally broke the pattern, sinking a tipin to pull the Bisons ahead by four. From there, the Bisons stretched their lead, redshirt junior guard Mateo Esmeraldo and freshman forward Kennedy Okpara making layups. Okpara also dunked on the Governors, drawing roaring cheers from the watching crowd and bringing the score to 25-16.

The Governors chased the Bisons, but the Bisons held the lead for the next five minutes of play. Austin Peay graduate student forward Collin Parker finally made a 3-pointer to draw the Govs ahead, 27-29. Lipscomb’s Asman quickly answered though, making two free throws to tie the score at 29.

The two teams were back in a trade-the-lead dance, and would remain so for the last five minutes of the first half. By halftime, the score was 40-42 in favor of the Governors, but the Bisons would come out of the locker room hot in the second half.

Junior forward Titas Sargiunas opened the second half for the Bisons with both a 3-pointer and a layup, pulling the Bisons back ahead of the Governors. Then play returned to trading the lead back and forth, fans of both teams on the edge of their seats. The score was tied at 55 around the ten minute mark, but wouldn’t stay so for long.

Lipscomb senior center Charlie Williams edged the Bisons forward to 60 with a 3-pointer and a layup, and Esmeraldo added another two with a layup of his own. The Governors weren’t ones to stay down, however, and brought the score back up until it was finally tied at 65 near the six minute mark.

Back and forth the two teams went, always within a point or two of the other, inching the score up above 70 as the time on the clock ran down. Around the 1:30 mark, everyone in the arena held their breath as Austin Peay freshman point guard Ja’Corey Robinson’s jumper rolled around the rim. It teetered toward the basket, shied away, slipped closer… and eventually fell away from the hoop, leaving the Bisons one point ahead.

Esmeraldo’s 3-pointer, followed by Asman’s layup, brought the Bisons’ lead up to six, but the Governors still weren’t done fighting. Lipscomb fans, on their feet, screamed as loudly as they could in an attempt to throw junior forward Rashaud Marshall off his game as he shot two free throws, but he made both of them. The Bisons now led by four. Asman made two free throws in answer, drawing the Bisons ahead to 82-76, with just 8 seconds left on the clock.

Austin Peay’s Robinson would make two more free throws, but it wasn’t enough for the Govs. The buzzer sounded, and the previously undefeated in conference play, No. 1 ASUN team, fell to the Lipscomb Bisons, 82-78. The crowd cheered in support of the Bisons, the kids from the start of the game rushing to the court for autographs and photos with the players. The Lipscomb Bisons, now tied for second in the ASUN with Austin Peay, signed jerseys, posters and basketballs, celebrating with those who’d come out to support them.

Featured image taken by Micah Barkley.