DeLand, Fla. -- Trailing by four points with under four minutes to play, Stetson rallied for 79-75 victory over visiting Lipscomb Saturday afternoon at the Edmunds Center.
Aisha Turner's three-point play broke a 73-73 tie with 1:50 to go, and the Hatters' defense forced a shot clock violation on the Lady Bisons' final possession to seal the win.
Stetson improved to 17-9 overall, 8-4 in conference play and 10-2 at home this season. The Hatters also clinched home court advantage in the Atlantic Sun quarterfinal round to be played March 4.
“We were really fortunate to get this win,” Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. “I thought to Lipscomb's credit, they played really well. The last time we played them, they didn't have (Ashley) Southern, and they didn't have (Lauren) Cagle, and those are two of their better players. They just make a big difference in their team.”
Lipscomb (5-22, 2-10) trailed by as many as nine in the second half, but stormed back to take a 71-67 lead with 4:06 to play. Breana Bey pulled Stetson to within two, and after the teams traded free throws, Brianti Saunders tied the game at 73 with two more shots from the line.
With under two minutes to play, Turner pulled down a rebound on the defensive end, then drove coast-to-coast, splitting two Lady Bisons defenders before banking in a short floater in the lane. She was also fouled and converted the three-point play.
“It was really just my momentum,” Turner said about the end-to-end rush. “Coach Bria had been telling me from the beginning of the game to attack the basket. At the last minute, I finally decided to do it.”
“It was a huge play,” Bria said. “That kind of made the game. We needed her to do that. I thought overall, she played a good game, especially in the second half. She did a lot of good things for us.”
Stetson led 78-75 in the closing seconds and forced Lipscomb into a shot clock violation by guarding the arc and not allowing a 3-point attempt. Turner's free throw with 5.3 seconds left iced the victory.
Saunders led all scorers with 19 points, adding nine rebounds and five assists. DeAsia Beal scored a career-high 17 points, while Bey netted 13 points and Turner chipped in 10.
Southern and Cagle each scored 14 points for Lipscomb.
The Hatters will host Kennesaw State at 5:30 p.m. Monday night.
Notes: Stetson has now won 12 straight vs. Lipscomb … The Hatters improved to 16-1 when leading at the half and 8-0 when scoring 74 points or more … It was the Hatters' fourth fourth-quarter comeback this year … Saunders moved from 10th to eighth on Stetson's all-time scoring list (1363 points).
