NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Luke Skywalker would have been proud of the aerial attack the Lipscomb men’s basketball team launched on Saturday afternoon to down ASUN foe NJIT 87-63 on Saturday afternoon on Star Wars Day at Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

After hitting just 5-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Bisons (15-11, 7-2 ASUN) warmed up to hit 10-of-16 including five by Nathan Moran, who finished with 18 points to tie Garrison Mathews for the team lead against the Highlanders (9-16, 1-8 ASUN).

“Offensively, everything seemed to work a little bit better in the second half,” said Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander. “Which is the case when the shots go in. We’ve had a lot of games and halves and segments where that’s been the case for us.

“Hopefully this will get us back to shooting with some confidence.  It’s been a long time since we’ve put a half together and 10-for-16 is an excellent half from the 3-point line.”

Herd notes:

• The 7-2 start in league play is the best start to ASUN action from the Bisons since the 2005-06 club went 9-2 to start conference action.
• Moran and Mathews were joined in double figures by Josh Williams, who scored 14 points on the afternoon.
• The Bisons held a 39-29 edge on the boards as Rob Marberry and Mathews contributed eight apiece. The Bisons held a 14-10 advantage on the offensive boards that were turned into a 23-11 superiority in second-chance points.
• Entering the game as the No. 1 team in the country in taking trips to the foul line, the Bisons made just 14 treks to the charity stripe in the win. Lipscomb was efficient however hitting 12-of-14 (85.7 percent). NJIT went 7-for-10 from the line.
• Lipscomb notched 23 assists on 30 made baskets. The Highlanders collected just 10 helpers in the contest.
• The Bisons held a 15-13 advantage in turnovers as Mathews and Kenny Cooper each collected a trio of steals.
• Williams moved into 21^st place all-time on the Lipscomb scoring chart surpassing Allen Sharpe, who finished his career with 1,431. Up next on the list at 20^th is Jerry Meyer with 1,463.
• NJIT’s Abdul Lewis led all scorers with 21 points hitting 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Up next:  The Bisons hit the road on Thursday to take on ASUN leader FGCU at 6 p.m. at Alico Arena.  The contest will air on ESPN3 and via the WatchESPN app.