CARROLLTON, Ga. - Following a two-game road stretch, the West Georgia men's basketball team fell 76-67 to ASUN preseason favorite Lipscomb University on Wednesday night at The Coliseum. 

UWG (4-20, 2-8 ASUN) found success in the first half attacking from within the paint to give the Wolves a 40-33 lead going into the break, but Lipscomb's (16-8, 8-3 ASUN) consistent offensive pressure, led to the Bisons grabbing a conference win over the Wolves. 

West Georgia finished the night shooting a solid 45 percent from the field and just 24 percent from distance, whereas Lipscomb shot 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.

Four Wolves reached double figures in scoring, led by Tamaury Releford with a team-high 15 points. Behind Releford, Shelton Williams-Dryden and Kolten Griffin each scored 13 and Kyric Davis scored 12. 

Lipscomb finished with three players draining double digits with Jacob Ognacevic, the ASUN's leading scorer, posting a Bisons-best 24 points, followed by Gysai Powell with 16 and Will Pruitt with 14. 

After the game, head coach Dave Moore said, "It's a very similar story to what we have been dealing with all year. Other than our defense, I thought we played well in the first. We were scoring the ball, which allowed us to stay in the game. It ultimately allowed us to pull away a little bit against a very good basketball team. A very good offensive basketball team. At the end of the day, we shot 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three in the second half and we went 3-for-13 from three against a very good team in a league battle. It's just not going to do it." 

Both squads started tonight's ASUN action with a blistering pace, shooting over 70 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the opening six minutes of play. At the first media timeout, the Wolves led 16-12.

UWG continued to control the game, holding a 30-24 advantage at the seven-minute mark with Kyric Davis leading the charge with nine points.

The Wolves closed out the half holding a strong 40-33 lead with Davis still posting a team-high nine points. The Bisons were led in the first by Ognacevic with 13 points. West Georgia dominated the paint in the opening period, outscoring the visitors 26-14 from down low. The Wolves also outshot the Bisons from the field, 58 percent to 44 percent. 

Lipscomb opened the second half with a balanced attack, featuring a barrage of three-pointers combined with inside scoring from Ognacevic. This, coupled with the Wolves' offensive struggles, allowed the visitors to close the gap quickly.

After trailing for much of the game, the Bisons regained the lead at the 13-minute mark, 52-51, reclaiming the advantage for the first time since they led 8-5 early on.

Over the next six minutes, the two teams traded leads, but the visitors held a 67-64 advantage at the under-8 media timeout. The Bisons jumped out in front by capitalizing on a strong second-half shooting performance, connecting on 5-of-11 three-pointers (46 percent), while the Wolves struggled from beyond the arc, making only 2-of-9 (29 percent) attempts at this point.

UWG continued to fight, but Lipscomb answered each challenge to maintain a tight lead.

Lipscomb pulled away in the end, defeating the Wolves 76-67.

For the second time this season, Tamaury Releford led the Wolves in scoring tonight, draining 15 points while shooting 6-for-8 (75 percent) from the field. Releford also led UWG with seven rebounds.

After missing last game due to a lower leg injury, Kolten Griffin returned to the starting lineup tonight looking sharp. The senior guard sank 13 points, shooting 5-of-8 (63 percent) from the field, in addition to packing a pair of Lipscomb shots. 

Following the game, coach Moore spoke about Griffin's performance, stating, "Kolten Griffin was battling with a bad ankle that he hurt last week. He gave us a big performance. 29 minutes of play, 5-for-8 from the field. He didn't practice all week. We got guys who are playing hard."

Lipscomb's three-point shooting proved to be the difference tonight, as they outshot the Wolves 41 percent to 24 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 three-pointers to the Wolves' five. 

This Saturday, West Georgia welcomes the University of North Alabama to The Coliseum for the 68th meeting of this long-standing rivalry, marking the first time this matchup will be played at the Division I level. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.