Redhawks falter against Lipscomb's offensive surge, fall 78-60 in Nashville

Jacob Ognacevic scored 20 points and Gyasi Powell added 19 to lead Lipscomb to a commanding 78-60 win over Southeast Missouri State on Thursday, Dec. 5, in Nashville.

Troy Cole Jr. led the Redhawks with 10 points off the bench. It was his second straight double-digit performance after scoring 13 against Kansas City on Nov. 30. Cole shot 4-for-9 from the field, including SEMO’s first 3-point basket of the game, which turned out to be the theme of the day.

SEMO’s leading scorers, Rob Martin and Teddy Washington Jr., combined to shoot 5-of-19 from the floor including 1-for-5 from the 3-point line. The Redhawks shot 5-for-14 from the arc, while Lipscomb made 10-of-25 from three.

SEMO scored the first points of the game on a layup by center Elliot Lowndes, which ended up being his only points throughout the game. The Redhawks struggled to find the basket early in the first half and found itself on the wrong end of an 18-4 run after their initial basket.

The Redhawks shot 4-of-15 including 0-for-4 from three to fall into a 21-8 hole with 11 minutes left in the first half. Martin and Washington combined to shoot 2-of-11 during that stretch.

SEMO went into halftime down 37-28 despite making as many field goals as Lipscomb (12). However, the disparity from the 3-point line was behind the separation, as the Bison’s six made threes were as many as the Redhawks’ attempts from the arc (1-for-6).

Lipscomb turned the game into a blowout as soon as play resumed, with a 22-4 run to start the second half. The Bison lead was as high as 27 during the second half. Dylan Faulkner scored eight of his 13 points for the Bison in the second half to join in the points barrage.

Ognacevic scored his 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and entirely from mid-range, with the exception of a single missed 3-point attempt. The senior from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is averaging 18 points per game through 10 games to lead the Bison, who were picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference in the preseason poll.

The free-throw line proved to not be much of a factor, as both teams made just as many free throws as 3-pointers. Four rebounds separated the two teams but Lipscomb moved the ball around more than SEMO as the Bison had 21 assists to the Redhawks’ nine.

The Redhawks will continue their road trip Sunday, Dec. 8, to Murray State to take on their former Ohio Valley Conference rivals.