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2/10/2009 - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Down to the Wire: Belmont Edges Lipscomb
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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.
