 What a difference Aaron Simpson makes.Absent from the first
meeting this season, Simpson returned to lead the Lynx to a 68-59
victory over the Cougars on Saturday afternoon at Jack Nutt Arena.
The freshman scoring expert was up to his old tricks, going for
25 points en route to the Lynx victory. Simpson scored in a variety
of ways: a trio of 3-pointers, off the dribble, on the break and at
the free-throw line.
"We're always looking to get Aaron more shots because he's the
type of guy who can catch fire," said Lincoln College coach Pat
Lepper. "Tonight, he made some. Obviously his percentage wasn't
great (shooting 6 for 18 from the field), but to go 10 for 12 from
the free-throw line was good. He hit a couple of especially big
shots for us. It was great to have him back."
Aside from Simpson's offensive output, the Lynx also benefited
from a swarming defense that forced ICC into 28 turnovers. Many of
those were pickpockets by Lincoln College defenders, who combined
for 19 steals in all.
"Defensively, we were there on their catches for the most part,"
said Lepper. "In the first half, we took care of the ball really
well. In the second half, we had too many turnovers and I'm not too
happy about that. But you have to give our defense credit for the
way we played on that end tonight."
The Lynx had control of a decent-sized lead for most of the game.
Lincoln College led 30-25 at halftime and led by as much as 62-46
with 3 minutes to play in the second half.
But the Cougars didn't go away without a fight, choosing to foul
the Lynx in an effort to mount an improbable comeback. The physical
fouls caused tensions to rise between both teams, and Lincoln
College guard Kendall Wesley was ejected after receiving two
technical fouls in response to a hard foul by Cougar guard Patrice
Sanders. Sanders was also whistled for a technical foul in the
incident.
Wesley is now suspended for the next game as the result of the
ejection.
"The physicality of the game, and the emotional aspect of it, we
just try to teach our guys to compete in those uncomfortable
situations and keep their composure," said Lepper. "At times we did.
Towards the end of the game though, a couple of our guys got sloppy
and made some bad decisions. Now we'll have to adjust because of
that."
Aside from Simpson's 25 points, the Lynx also got 15 points and
six rebounds from JoVaughn Gaines, while Courtney Jones added 10
points and 10 rebounds. Wesley had five points, seven assists and
four steals for Lincoln College.
With the win, the Lynx improved to 17-9 on the season.
[to top of second column] |
 Lady Lynx survive in OT thriller
The Lady Lynx squeaked past Lewis and Clark Community College in
overtime, 68-65, in a seesaw battle that was tight throughout, with
14 lead changes and 20 ties between the two teams.
The game was tied at 27 at halftime. The largest lead of the game
was seven points, when Lewis and Clark led 17-10 in the first half.
Free throws in the final minute of overtime by Lincoln College
sophomore forward Ally Friday put the game on ice, with her free
throws pushing the Lynx to a two-possession 67-62 lead.
The game was extremely physical, with 44 fouls called between the
two teams. Lady Lynx coach Carol Wilson thought her team competed
well in the physical atmosphere, even when the officiating was at
times inconsistent in her eyes.
"I thought it was really two different games," said Wilson. "In
the first half, the officials were pretty quick on the whistle. In
the second half, they let us play a little bit more. I thought that
hurt us a little bit because we got bumped around some."
After some questionable offensive decisions in the second half,
Wilson felt her team was able to prevail because of sound
decision-making in overtime, including getting the ball to Friday to
draw fouls on big possessions in overtime.
"We rushed some shots the second half and didn't make them defend
us and didn't do a good job getting to the free-throw line," said
Wilson. "But I thought overall, too, we did a good job of
understanding the game down the stretch and managed the clock
better."
Friday led the Lady Lynx with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Shannon Hall added 10 points for Lincoln College, with Cassidy
Jennings adding eight points. Taylor Buliox had five points and 12
rebounds for the Lynx as well.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lady Lynx, who
are now 12-12 on the season.
"We needed a win," said Wilson. "Hopefully now we can get over
the hump a little bit with Monmouth and Lincoln Land in the next
week. We need to move up in the standings."
[By JUSTIN TIERNEY]
Lincoln College men's basketball
Lincoln
College women's basketball
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