TSU Women's Basketball Drops Season Opener, 64-62, at Lipscomb

FINAL BOX | PHOTO GALLERY

Final Score: Tennessee State 62 – Lipscomb 64 
Records: TSU (0-1) – LU (1-0)
Venue: Allen Arena
Location: Nashville, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --- The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team dropped a tough, 64-62, decision to Lipscomb Friday night in the season opener.

TSU (0-1) trailed for the entire fourth quarter until rallying to tie the game with just 13 seconds left to play. The Lady Tigers saw the game slip away when Lipscomb (1-0) scored the winning bucket with 2.4 seconds remaining.

Taylor Roberts led Tennessee State in scoring with 12 points while Andreana Wrister (11), Cebria Outlow (11) and Lauren Elliott (10) also scored in double-digits.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• TSU Leaders
• Points:  Taylor Roberts– 12
• Rebounds: Jaden Wrightsell- 7
• Assists: Asia Sims and Taylor Roberts – 3
• Steals: Taylor Roberts - 4
• Andreana Wrister and Cebria Outlow each added 11 points while Lauren Elliott finished with 10.
• TSU shot 42.9 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range.
• There were six ties and 11 lead changes in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• TSU shot 45.5 percent in the opening period and led, 15-13, at the end of the first quarter.
• Despite only scoring two points through the first seven minutes of the second frame, TSU kept it close and carried a 25-24 advantage into the halftime break.
• TSU used an 11-2 run to build a double-digit lead at the 6:10 mark of the third quarter but LU rallied off nine unanswered points over a span of two minutes to erase the deficit.
• Despite calling timeout to halt the Lady Bison run, TSU was outscored 11-5 in the final four minutes of the quarter.
• Lipscomb led 46-41 heading into the final frame.
• With 6:29 remaining in the game, TSU trailed, 53-50.
• The Lady Tigers stayed within striking distance and tied the game, 62-62, following a steal and layup by Taylor Roberts with 12 seconds remaining.
• Lipscomb connected in the paint with 2.4 seconds left to seal the win.

GAME NOTES

• The loss snapped a four-game winning streak over the Lady Bisons.
• Four players scored in double-digits for TSU.
• Andreana Wrister hit three triples in the game.
• Taylor Roberts had four steals, including the one that led to the game-tying layup with 13 seconds remaining. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Jessica Kern

“Bottom line…Lipscomb wanted it more than we did, unfortunately. We had young players out there who made young player mistakes. So we’ll learn and then we’ll strap up again and go to Alabama A&M.”
-On the loss

“It’s no surprise we’re missing a big chunk of our offense right now but that’s absolutely no excuse when it’s all said and done. We’ve got to be able to defend. Extremely disappointed with our defensive rebounds. We’re undersized… we know that. But we have to be able to stop the ball in other ways. Hats off to Lipscomb, they stayed composed even when it was an up and down kind of game. They stuck to their game plan and it paid off for them in the end. We’ve got to learn to be more disciplined on both sides of the ball.”
- On chemistry and defense

UP NEXT

• TSU returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at Alabama A&M. Game time is set for 11 a.m. in T.M. Elmore Gym.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS