Lipscomb men's basketball holds off SIU Edwardsville 78-77 in home opener
Devyn Martin's free throw with seven seconds left decided it after a Kennedy Okpara dunk tied the game at Allen Arena.
NASHVILLE - Lipscomb beat SIU Edwardsville 78-77 in its men's basketball home opener Saturday night at Allen Arena, according to Lipscomb's official recap.
Kennedy Okpara's dunk tied the game at 77 with 45 seconds left, and Devyn Martin made a free throw with seven seconds remaining for the winning point.
The Bisons led 46-35 at halftime behind 7-of-19 shooting from 3-point range and an 8-0 run that pushed a 36-31 lead to 44-31. SIUE outscored Lipscomb 42-32 after the break and held a 30-16 edge in paint points in the second half, but the Bisons made 13 of 18 free throws in that half.
Martin led Lipscomb with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Okpara added 13 points in 19 minutes off the bench, and Takai Simpkins scored 12 points with five assists, going 8 of 10 at the line. Lipscomb is 1-2 and SIUE is 2-1. The Bisons play next at Western Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 14.