Saturday, February 03, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Lipscomb basketball coach Frank Bennett didn't mince any words when he rated the importance of the Lady Bisons 57-52 upset win over ETSU. It was the first time in four games that the Lady Bisons have beaten ETSU.

"It is probably our best win in 2 ½ years," Bennett said. "They were within a couple of possessions of being tied for first in the league. They are a very good, very talented team. It was a great win for us. I think it builds our confidence."

It was only the third Atlantic Sun Conference loss of the season for ETSU. Belmont, the No.1 team in the conference, has beaten ETSU twice.

"Coming into this game we had only been competitive with ETSU in one half," Bennett said. "The other five halves we had not been competitive. It was a real step up to be able to handle their tremendous defensive pressure. "We still had a lot of turnovers and we didn't shoot a great percentage. But we got enough out of it. Our team really wanted it and battled hard."

Bennett, whose team has won back-to-back games, credited the fans who attended the Saturday evening game at Allen Arena for helping to make a difference. The Lady Bisons are 5-6 in the conference.

"Our crowd helped make the difference," Bennett said. "It was very loud in here."