Lipscomb edges Tennessee St with late surge 77-68

Dec 6, 2014, 07:48 pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Malcolm Smith scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and Nathan Moran sank the go-ahead 3-pointer to lead Lipscomb to a 77-68 win over Tennessee State on Saturday night.

In a game that saw nine lead changes and only single-digit margins, Lipscomb (3-5) took over midway through the second period on Moran's 3-pointer that made it 58-56 with 9:11 to play. Tennessee State (2-7) drew to within two on a Charles Tucker 3 that made it 66-64 with 4:01 to go but Smith sank a bucket at the other end to spark an 11-4 run that cemented the win and snapped a three-game Lipscomb skid.

Moran finished with 13 points, including three from long range, and Josh Williams contributed 11 and had six boards for the Bisons, who shot 50 percent from the floor.

Marcus Roper scored 21 points to lead Tennessee State.