by Cory Woodroof | Dec 15, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The Bisosn were ready to give the Kentucky Wildcats a fight – and for a good portion of the game – that’s exactly what they did. Unfortunately, the men’s basketball team (4-5) came up short in a hard-fought battle with the Wildcats (7-3), losing 88-50 at the historic Rupp Arena. Today’s game saw the team playing in front of 21,323 spectators (the biggest crowd to ever attend a game the men’s team was a part of). The Bisons were battling a nationally ranked team (no. 22) that had members of a squad that won the national championship this past April. After Kentucky got the tip, the Bisons and Wildcats went back and forth until around the halfway point in the first half when Kentucky started to widen their margin. Sophomore Martin Smith had three key 3-point shots that helped the Bisons keep the Wildcats on their feet. At the half, Lipscomb trailed the Cats 43-29. After the strong 4-0 run by Lipscomb to start the second, the Wildcats pulled ahead, turning a 12 point lead into a dominant run that sealed their seventh win of the season. Martin Smith had a strong outing for the Bisons with 18 points and 5 rebounds (including a 3-4 3-pt. rate). Freshman Stephen Hurt had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Khion Sankey said he believes that the Bisons must work on playing through adverse situations. “We’ve just got to play harder,” Sankey said. “We’ve got to play through adversity.” After today, the Bisons look to rebound against Austin Peay in Clarksville on Tuesday night, followed by another road game, a...
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 8, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
You know what they say. “You can’t keep a good Bison down.” The men’s basketball team left Tuesday’s tough loss to Belmont in the rear-view mirror, posting up an 86-62 victory in Allen Arena Saturday night against the now 3-7 UT Martin Skyhawks, another OVC opponent. The team evened out their record to 4-4 on the season. The Bisons brought the heat early, eventually pulling their leading margin to eight about halfway through the first half. The Skyhawks started to push back a little, cutting the margin by five with about eight minutes before halftime. But not before the men’s team went on a roll. By the half, the Bisons had a commanding 46-27 lead, closing out the first with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by senior Deonte Alexander. The second half allowed for the Bisons to showcase plenty of blocked shots, staunch defense and even two dunks – courtesy of sophomore Martin Smith and freshman John Ross Glover. The team never yielded, closing out the game with a 24 point margin. Martin Smith had a huge game for the Bisons with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. He also went 9 for 9 from the free throw line. Both Alexander and Glover had 13 points in the game, and Juniors Khion Sankey and Oscar Garcia each had 7 rebounds. Glover said he feels tonight’s win showed the team’s resiliency. “I think it’s good we bounced back,” Glover said. “That’s what we talked about as a team coming into the game. That’s just a sign of toughness. “When [tough teams] get beat, they don’t stay beat. They get back up and they...
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 4, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Despite a strong start, the Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball team couldn’t claim the season’s second ‘Battle of the Boulevard’ title, losing a 100-66 contest with the Belmont Bruins at the Curb Event Center. Belmont had the series’ first win in November at Allen Arena in the Bisons’ season opener. Lipscomb kept early momentum away from the Bruins, who suffered from poor shooting early on. Once Belmont began to hit crucial shots, the Bruins caught the lead and began to build on it. The Bisons kept the margin at a manageable distance until the middle of the second half. Junior Khion Sankey put up 15 for the Bisons, with sophomore Martin Smith not too far behind with 13. Freshman Stephen Hurt had 11, and all three Bisons had five rebounds a piece for the game. Sankey said he feels that tonight’s missteps must be improved upon for this weekend’s match-up against UT Martin. “We’ve just got to play aggressive,” Sankey said. “We’ve got to come out strong. We’ve got to play for 40 minutes.” Looking ahead, the Bisons return to Allen Arena on Saturday to play the 3-5 UT Martin Skyhawks, following that up with a trip up to Lexington, Ky., to take on the now-unranked 5-3 Kentucky Wildcats on Dec. 15. Sankey said he’s confident that the team will successfully move on from tonight’s loss. “We’re going to get better from...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 30, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
After losing a close battle with Murray State Monday night, the men’s basketball team played hard against a, at the time, 3-2 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, winning 80-64. The Bisons came out strong with a 4-0 run in the first three minutes, but the Golden Eagles kept the game close until Lipscomb gained important momentum, going into the half up by nine. The second half mirrored the first, with a strong finish helping the Bisons close things out. The team evened out their record to 3-3 on the season. Senior Deonte Alexander led the Bisons in scoring with 17, with sophomore Martin Smith adding in 14. Freshmen Stephen Hurt led in rebounds with 10 and junior Khion Sankey led in assists with four. The Bisons also made 80% of their free throws, with sophomore Malcom Smith making seven of eight. Martin Smith believes that tonight’s win helped show the team’s strengths. “It was a big win for us,” Martin Smith said. “This is a team that’s going to compete in the OVC with Murray State and Belmont. It was just a good win, showing what we’re capable of doing as a team.” After this week’s play, Martin Smith hopes that the momentum will carry over into this Tuesday’s second and final installment of the Battle of the Boulevard at Belmont. “This week, we just showed we were capable of playing great defense and that we’ve got our offense down pat.” Photo credit: Whitney...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 29, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Briefly: The men’s basketball team (2-3) played in a true edge-of-your-seat thriller Monday night, losing a close battle with the 5-1 Murray State Racers, participants in last year’s NCAA Tournament. After leading at half-time, the Bisons kept it close until the closing minutes, with the game eventually falling in Murray State’s favor 88-79. Sophomore Malcom Smith had 22 points for the Bisons, and Junior Khion Sankey secured 12 rebounds and six assists. On Friday night, the men’s team will play the 3-2 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in Allen Arena at 6:30p.m. Next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. will complete this year’s Battle of the Boulevard series at Belmont. The Bisons will host UT Martin next Saturday at 6:30 p.m, and will play at Rupp Arena against the no. 8 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, Dec. 15. Road games against Austin Peay and Memphis will take place over the break, with conference play beginning in Jacksonville against North Florida on Dec....
