Feb. 10, 2009

Final Stats

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Three-point shots nearly decided the second game in a row for the Belmont women's basketball team (15-8, 10-4 A-Sun). After dropping 10 threes to defeat Campbell over the weekend, the Bruins saw Lipscomb (4-19, 2-12 A-Sun) net the same number in the first half in part two of the historic Battle of the Boulevard on Tuesday night. A foul on a desperation three with eight-tenths of a second in regulation saw a Lipscomb player miss two of the three shots at the line to give BU the 61-60 win, snapping a three-game series skid.

Belmont wasted little time, jumping out to a 5-0 lead behind a jumper from senior Jessica Bobbitt (Trenton, Tenn.) followed by a triple by junior Amber Rockwell (Tuscaloosa, Ala.). Junior Kristin Bunch (Fayetteville, Ga.) was knocked to the floor on a three-point attempt and went on to hit all three shots at the charity stripe. Bobbitt drilled one of two at the line and after a steal by junior LaWanna Holiday (Henderson, Tenn.), redshirt sophomore Tereva Moore (Memphis, Tenn.) followed with a jumper from the left elbow to put the Bruins on top 11-0. A stunned Lady Bisons bench called a timeout but remained scoreless for another minute before a free-throw by Clair Waggener got LU on the board. Lipscomb used three consecutive three-pointers to move to within seven, 17-10, by the 10:30 mark.

Belmont easily maintained its distance of nearly 10 points for the next six minutes with shots coming from Rockwell but three consecutive three pointers by Jilian Partin all from the same spot on the arc quickly made it a one point game, 28-27, with four minutes left before the break. The Bruin bench called a timeout to halt the momentum of the Lady Bisons, who despite shooting 28.6 percent from the floor, were knocking down 50 percent from behind the arc. LU gained its first lead of the game, 30-29, with a trey from Chelsea Burroughs with 3:03 left on the clock but a pair at the stripe by freshman Cacy Burtnett (Cleveland, Tenn.) put BU back on top by one. Anna Bowers was able to swish a three with 1:03 on the clock and the Bruins held on for the final shot of the half. Burtnett was able to drive in the paint and on her own put back, knotted the score at 33 just as time expired.

Lipscomb, who did not net a single field-goal in the first half, kept up its hot shooting from behind the arc to open the second stanza with a triple coming from Bowers in the first 10 seconds. Bobbitt put her team on her back and scored all of Belmont's first eight points to put the Bruins on top by one, 39-38. The Lady Bisons were finally able to find the bottom of the net from the floor to briefly regain the lead on the next possession.

Bunch's first trey of the game from the top of the arc put BU in the lead, 49-46, with 10 and a half minutes left in regulation. A pair at the line by Valerie Bronson made it a one point contest but just as quickly as the shooting began, both teams went icy from the floor with neither able to find the bottom of the net for over three and a half minutes. A jumper and three-point play gave the Lady Bisons a slim one-point lead before Belmont surged again behind Bobbitt and Moore. After their scoring flurry, the Bruins found themselves on top by four, 57-53, with 3:34 left in the match-up.

As time ticked to under two minutes, two at the line by Jenna Bartsokas and a jumper by Brittany Duerk inched LU to within one, 59-58. Moore's trey from the top of the arc bounced off the side with only 45 ticks on the clock and Bartsokas was fouled on the opposite end. However, she was only able to net the front end of the pair to knot the score at 59 with 33.7 seconds left in regulation. Belmont worked to hold on for what looked to be the final shot of the half with Rockwell driving into traffic for a lay-up, putting BU back on top, 61-59, with 2.6 seconds left.

Lipscomb inbounded the ball and Burroughs was fouled on a desperation three pointer with eight-tenths of a second on the clock. However, her inexperience at the line doomed the Lady Bisons' comeback effort. The trip marked only her eighth of the entire season and she missed the first two of the three, blowing the chance of forcing overtime or tying the game. She did net the final of the three, giving Belmont the 61-60 victory.

Lipscomb shot 34.0 percent from the floor, 54.2 percent from the free-throw line and 50.0 percent from three-point range.  The Lady Bisons also held the advantage in assists, 14-11.

Three LU players scored 12 points in the effort – Partin, Bowers and Burroughs.  Waggener led the team with nine rebounds.

Belmont shot 39.6 percent from the floor, 60.0 percent from the charity stripe and 22.2 percent from behind the three-point arc.  The Bruins also dominated in steals, 13-5, and blocks, 5-0.  BU also forced 17 Lady Bison turnovers.

Bobbitt recorded a game-high 17 points while Rockwell added 13 points on the night.  Moore and Bunch rounded out the top scorers with nine and eight points, respectively.  Bunch also finished with season-high four assists.  Freshman Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.) collected a game-high three blocks in the effort.

Belmont returns to action on Friday at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host USC Upstate beginning at 7 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on ASun.TV and can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network.