Lipscomb Lady Bisions Basketball

It's that time of year. Coach, computer scientist, and all-around good egg Frank Bennett rolls out the latest edition of your Lady Bisons.

So far, the reviews are encouraging, even if there is still work to do.

First, the obvious: Lipscomb lost an exhinition game. Again. This time, Alabama-Huntsville came into Allen Arena and walked out with a 69-68 win. This can't be a good sign. A Divison I team ought to be able to give its 9 best players double-digit minutes and carry the day over a Division II team on talent alone, especially at home and especially in an exhibiton game in November. If Lipscomb has ambitions higher than "let's hope we make the Atlantic Sun tournament," this can't happen. And for Lipscomb, who relies so heavily on home-coourt advantage, this REALLY can't happen at home. Period.

What went wrong:

Free throw shooting. Lipscomb was 6 for 19 in the second half from the free throw line. Six for nineteen. Ugh.

Tempo. The game was WAY too fast for a team like Lipscomb. 80 possessions is high for a men's game, let alone women. For the talent Coach Bennett recruits to be most effective, Lipscomb needs to be playing in the high 60's to low 70's.

Turnovers. Lipscomb must take better care of the basketball. This is a recording.

What went right:

Shot selection: Last year, Lipscomb shot 3's almost without conscience. Tonight, fewer than 40% of their attempts were from beyond the arc. Factor in the number of 2-shot free throw situations they generated, and what we see is a return to the Bennett Ball of the mid 90's. Pound the ball inside and make their big girls make a play to stop you. In a guard-oriented league like the A-Sun, I like the idea.

Defense: 21 forced turnovers, including 14 steals. Defense and lay-ups, with just enough 3's to keep the other team honest. Welcome to Bennett Ball. One might have liked a stop late, but credit UAH for making plays when they needed them.

Grit: Down 5 with 2 minutes to go (in an exhibition game at home) and generally not playing very well, the Lady Bisons stepped up in crunch time. Miriam McAlister gets an and-one (which she made) to cut the lead to 2. Then Dana Carrigan, Katie Woods, and Jenna Bartsokas each hit 3's to give the defense a chance.

The Lady Bisions open up for real at UT-Martin on Friday.