Box score | Photos courtesy of Lipscomb sports information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior guard Deonte Alexander scored 22 points to lead Lipscomb to a 76-58 victory over Northern Kentucky on Friday night, snapping the Norse's four-game winning streak.
Alexander, who entered Friday averaging 12.5 points per game, made six 3-point field goals and added five rebounds as Lipscomb improved to 9-14 overall, 4-8 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Bisons finished with a 45-26 advantage in rebounds and avenged a 14-point loss to Northern Kentucky (8-12 overall, 6-6 A-Sun) on Jan. 11.
"Alexander helped them get off to a fast start, and their rebounding really hurt us," NKU head coach
Dave Bezold said. "We were never able to really find a rhythm offensively, and Lipscomb played very well to get this win."
Lipscomb contained Northern Kentucky scoring machine
Eshaunte Jones during the first 12 minutes of the game, limiting the Norse senior to just a free throw that gave him 900 points during his collegiate career. Jones – who had averaged 23.5 points to ignite the Norse's four-game winning streak - went inside for his first basket to cut the Lipscomb lead to 22-12, but the Bisons used a 12-5 spurt to build a 34-17 advantage.
Northern Kentucky fought back with eight consecutive points to cut the Lipscomb lead to 34-25 at the break. The Norse might have been even closer, but
Ernest Watson's jumper at the end of the half came just after the buzzer sounded.
Lipscomb led by as many as 25 points in the second half and cruised to the win, which gave the Bisons a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Norse. Jones led Northern Kentucky with 15 points, while teammates
Chad Jackson and
Tyler White each scored 11.
Lipscomb collected 15 offensive rebounds and owned a 21-0 advantage in second-chance points. Stephen Hurt, a burly 6-foot-10, 285-pound freshman center, came off the bench and grabbed 10 rebounds – four of those on the offensive glass – and added nine points.
The Bisons were 11-for-21 from 3-point range, while Northern Kentucky was 8-for-25 from behind the arc. The Norse shot 38.5 percent from the field, compared to 46.4 percent for Lipscomb.
Northern Kentucky plays host to Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. Thursday in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
NORSE NOTES: Jones scored a total of 287 points in two years at Nebraska, and he now has 627 points in two seasons with Northern Kentucky for a total of 914 as a collegiate player...Jones also led NKU with seven rebounds Friday night.
