After jumping off to a quick lead the Hatters could not keep up the tempo in the second half as conference foe Lipscomb took a 71-53 victory Saturday evening in Nashville.
 
The Hatters came ready to play strong after a crushing loss to Belmont on Thursday.  Starting strong is exactly what the Hatters accomplished but the Lady Bisons were able to wear down Stetson in the second half going six for 13 from beyond the arc.
 
In the first half Stetson got off two quick baskets by sophomore Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) After a short lull in action, the Hatters were given a boost by senior Kim Manning (Daytona Beach, Fla.) with a steal and bucket to put Stetson up by three.  Lipscomb was able to take over the lead shortly before halftime 27-22.
 
The start of the second half looked much like that of the first half, with the Hatters striking first on a basket by Barkley.  But two three pointers by Lipscomb put the Lady Bisons 10 points ahead with 16 minutes remaining in the game.
 
As time ticked away the Hatters made quick fouls to slow the clock.  But the Lady Bisons converted 18 of 26 from the charity stripe in the second half and built a 28 point lead before taking the win 71-53.
 
The Hatters were led by Ayesha Barkley with 14 points while senior Janene Maclin (Chicago, Ill.) and freshman Prue Kenny (Geelong, Australia) each grabbed seven boards to lead the team.
 
The Lady Bisons were led by Catie Woods with 13 points and the boards were dominated by Penny Jones and Dana Carrigan, each with six.
 
Next up the Hatters come home to take on conference rival Campbell on Thursday, January 18 at 7 pm.