NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team could smell its first-ever Division I and ASUN victory Sunday in Allen Arena, but Lipscomb used a crucial 6-0 run late to hold off the Knights 65-58.
The margin of defeat represented the lowest thus far in its first DI season for Bellarmine (0-7, 0-2), which overcame a slow start to battle neck and neck with Lipscomb (5-5, 2-2) over the final three quarters. Overall, it was a marked improvement for the Knights from Saturday, when they trailed by 27 points in the second half before making a strong comeback to ultimately fall 84-72 to the Bisons.
Senior forward
Lauren Deel scored all of her team-high 15 points in the second half, hitting 7-of-9 shots and adding seven rebounds and three blocks for Bellarmine. Senior guard
Tasia Jeffries followed her career-high 25-point performance Saturday with 13 points, four assists and two steals Sunday, and senior guard
Breia Torrens added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jeffries and Torrens combined to nail 6-of-11 shots from 3-point land.
Jalyn Holcomb, the reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year, was a handful for Lipscomb, scoring a career-high 28 points behind 11-for-15 shooting, including 3-of-5 from downtown. With 4:22 left in the game, the Bisons were clinging to a 57-55 lead when Holcomb went on a personal 6-0 run with a 3-pointer and three free throws.
The last two from the charity stripe provided Lipscomb with a 63-55 lead with 28 seconds left. Bellarmine struggled from the field down the stretch, enduring a four-minute drought without scoring before Jeffries canned a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left. The Bisons were also able to extend possessions with three offensive rebounds inside the last 3:30.
Bellarmine trailed 21-10 after the first quarter, but an 8-0 run featuring back-to-back 3-pointers by Torrens trimmed the deficit to three in the second period before the Knights went into halftime down 33-28. They trailed by nine in the third quarter before finishing the stanza strong behind two baskets by Deel.
Deel then followed a pair of free throws by Torrens with a bucket as Bellarmine trailed 51-50 less than one minute into the fourth as the Knights came up just shy of their first win.
Bellarmine's first-ever ASUN home games will unfold Saturday and Sunday in Freedom Hall against Florida Gulf Coast. Both contests are at 2 p.m. (ET).
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