Tag: Jacob Ognacevic

Lipscomb won one of college basketball’s best annual rivalry games on a fantastic last-second layup

Rivalry games that end at the last second never get old.

The Battle of the Boulevard rivalry has been one of college basketball’s best-kept secrets, and the latest edition went to the Bisons in stunning fashion.

A quick primer: collegiate neighbors Lipscomb University and Belmont University share the same boulevard in Nashville, Tennessee. The two Christian schools have had a longstanding college basketball rivalry that spans back to the 1950s.

The rivalry has been heightened in recent years, with both schools making appearances in the NCAA Tournament and Belmont coach Casey Alexander jumping to his alma mater after coaching at Lipscomb from 2013 to 2019.

It’s also gone from two annual games a year to just one, adding to the intrigue.

During Monday night’s latest installment, the Bisons won on a stellar, quite literal last-second layup from sophomore forward Jacob Ognacevic in front of the home crowd.

Ognacevic’s bucket gave Lipscomb its first win over boulevard rival since December 2017, with Belmont winning the last six meetings.

Lipscomb will get to hold onto the bragging rights after Monday’s win, at least until the two teams meet again next season at Belmont’s place.

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Previewing the LSU men’s basketball opponent on Wednesday Lipscomb

Looking ahead to the next LSU basketball opponent.

After squeaking out a win against Louisiana Tech last weekend, LSU will be back in action on Wednesday as Lipscomb travels to Baton Rouge. 

It’s the Tigers’ last tune-up chance before conference play begins against a good Auburn Tigers team on December 29th.

To put it mildly, Lipscomb is not good. They rank as No. 261 in the Sagarin Ratings and No. 257 in KenPom. On the year, they’re just 6-7 but that does include a win over Dayton. 

If there is any silver lining on this Lipscomb team, it’s their offense. They rank 3rd in the Atlantic Sun in points per game and 41st in division one in effective field goal percentage. 

They’re pretty good at shooting the three-ball too. Freshman Jacob Ognacevic leads the ASUN in total points this year, averaging 18.2 per night. 

The Bison took a big hit this year when center Ahsan Asadullah went down with an injury. Asadullah could score, but they particularly miss his rebounding. Lipscomb is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country, especially on offense.

Parker Hazen has stepped in at center and has come nowhere close to replacing Asadullah’s production. Grant Asman, a freshman, has also seen increased playing time after Asadullah’s injury.

The Bison backcourt is headlined by junior guard Greg Jones. Jones averages close to 10 points a night and is their most prolific three-point shooter. 

Guards KJ Johnson and Quincy Clark will also see time in the backcourt. Neither has proven to be that much of a scoring threat this year.

The Lipscomb defense is bad, really bad. It might be just the right medicine for an LSU offense that is struggling. Lipscomb doesn’t force many turnovers and they have done a terrible job defending from deep.

The lone bright spot for the Bison on defense may be their ability to not foul. Opponents only get 13.8 points per game off free throws against the Bison. That’s one of the best marks in the country.

Bottom Line

This is as easy a game as LSU will see all year. It would be nice to see the Tigers finally get off to a good start as well as work out some offensive kinks. A couple of Lipscomb players may be able to hold their own, but other than that, they don’t belong on the court with LSU. This is as much of a “buy game” as any.

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