Feb. 14, 2008

Stats

After winning four games in a row by double figures, the Bisons traveled to USC Upstate and held off the Spartans 57-53. Lipscomb earned an 11 point lead in the first half, but the Spartans fought back to take the lead in the second half. The two teams would trade baskets and keep it close until the final seconds of the game.

Lipscomb's LaKory Daniels iced the game with two free throws in the closing seconds to give the Bisons a 57-53 victory. USC Upstate fell to 6-20 overall, 4-8 in the A-Sun. The Bisons improved to 13-13, 7-5 in the conference.

"I'm just proud of our guys. Battling and Battling, it was good to win tonight," said Lipscomb's head coach Scott Sanderson.

Two Bisons managed to score in double figures. Freshmen Adnan Hodzic and Josh Slater combined for 28 points. Hodzic scored 11 points in his 18 minutes. Slater had one of his best performances of the season scoring 17 points, pulling down 10 rebounds, and making 7 assists.

"He was very good. He has made good decisions. He has jumped up and made some shots, and he plays thirty minutes and turned the ball over one time with 7 assists. He is stepping up and playing unlike a freshman and that's for sure," said Sanderson.

The Bisons led by 11 points three different times in the first half. That would prove to be Lipscomb's largest lead. The Bisons shot 13-25 from the field in the first half (52%). USC Upstate was 11-26 from the field in the first half (42%).

The beginning of the second half was a different story for the Bisons. Lipscomb's first successful shot from the field came at the 15:10 mark of the second half. During that span of 5 minutes, the Spartans were able to crawl back into the game and make it close throughout the rest of game.

A Spartans' three pointer by Jeremy Byrd gave USC Upstate a 45-44 lead with 9:40 remaining in the game. However, the Bisons battled back and took a 49-45 lead with 6:20 remaining in the game. Lipscomb would hold on to the lead and win the game 57-53.

Lipscomb was 21-54 from the field (39%), and the Spartans were 22-56 from the field (39%). The Bisons were 4-18 from the three point line (22.2%). USC Upstate shot 8-22 from behind the arc (36.4%).

"We can't really worry about what the other teams are doing. We are just trying to survive ourselves, one game and move on," said Sanderson. "I'm just proud of our guys."

The Bisons improved to 13-13, 7-5 in the A-Sun. The Spartans fell to 6-20, 4-8 in the conference.

Lipscomb's next action comes on Saturday when they travel to East Tennessee State University. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. CST. Coverage of the game can be heard on 1200 AM or seen on A-Sun TV.