Bison hoops finish strong against Kennesaw State on senior night

The Lipscomb men’s basketball team closed out the 2014-15 season with a 94-75 win over Atlantic Sun Conference foe Kennesaw State Saturday morning in Allen Arena. With a solid start to the first half, the Bisons carried their attacking play with a 47-32 lead as sophomore J.C. Hampton executed a lay up. “I thought for the most part we were really solid — I was proud of their effort and I felt like we really played to win,” Lipscomb’s head coach Casey Alexander said. “We played together, which may sound simple, but things haven’t been going our way and sometimes that’s hard to do.” The Bisons controlled the game as sophomore Josh Williams finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. “The team came together tonight more than we ever have done this season,”  Williams said. “It was great to see a lot of guys contribute to this win. “Rebounding was on point tonight and the guys did really well with their offense but also defense.” Senior Martin Smith came out to the court with an ora of determination for senior night. Smith added 12 points onto the score board. Kennesaw State’s Yonel Brown led all scorers with a 22 points, along with a pair of treys and six free throws. The Bisons recognized graduate student Chad Lang and seniors Chad Johnson and Smith during a pregame ceremony. “It’s so weird that this is the night we wait for during these four years,”  Smith said. “I am so grateful for my time here and it was a great game — kind of a bittersweet. I’m really looking forward to the...

Lipscomb staff provide for students through inclement weather

Lipscomb University experienced its first real winter weather of 2015, which brought the usually active campus almost to a standstill. On Feb. 16, Tennessee was declared to be in a state of emergency forcing local shops, restaurants and University’s to close until roads were safe to drive on. Students on and off-campus were stranded, or forced to be, what felt like, held captive in their own houses and dorm rooms, which made the demand for food on campus a lot higher than normal. Sophomore Starbucks worker Eric Scheide explained how hectic those few days were. “We were the only downstairs food service that was open, so the cancelled class days were very busy and stressful at times.” “Thanks to a great group of workers, we managed to stay on top of the work load, and hopefully it kept our customers happy,” Scheide said. Lipscomb cancelled classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon during the week of Feb. 16. When classes are cancelled, whether it be due to treacherous weather or some other emergency, the entire campus cannot come to a halt. During this most recent class interference, many behind the scenes staff began working even harder to make sure students were made comfortable. Throughout the week, Lipscomb’s campus services and security, Sodexo food services and Starbucks staff remained on campus, and even with a limited staff, they were able to make it a successful week. Another issue that affected students and staff was the transportation problems that arose due to the dangers on the roads. Nashville’s buses were forced to change routes on many occasions which created more trouble for the staff that use the...

Bisons advance with fifth conference win over Stetson

The Lipscomb mens basketball team recorded its fifth conference win over the Stetson Hatters with 87-85 on Thursday night in Allen Arena. The slow starting game began as both teams struggled to establish any momentum. After the media timeout the Bisons began to find their feet and gained an assertive lead 43-27 just eight minutes later. The Bisons were able to turn the tables from two weeks earlier, where they found themselves under the pump in the reverse fixture on Jan. 31. The team entered intermission holding a substantial lead 51-37. Lipscomb was en route to a season-best with 51 points at halftime. That gave the Purple and Gold a 14-point cushion at the break, something the Bisons would need as the Hatters would outscore them 48-36 in the final 20 minutes of action. “We need to limit our turnovers, and take better shots,” senior forward Malcolm Smith said. “We have been struggling on defense and I would say that’s something we need to work on going into the next few games.” Smith led Lipscomb with 29 points. Sophomore guard Josh Williams followed just behind with 25 points. “We’ll take the win, but we need to make improvements to make some noise in the conference tournament,” Malcolm said. In previous games, the Bisons have had issues with their offense and defense, but the topic for this game was the team’s poor turnover against the Hatters. “It was almost [a] carbon copy of that previous game, [but] this time it turned out differently,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “It was almost the same game which adds to the frustration.” In this case...

Lipscomb receives top national ranking

Lipscomb University has been ranked as one of the top Christian universities in the nation according to the 2015 Niche Ranking. The Best Christian Colleges ranking includes 288 Christian colleges in the country, with Lipscomb ranking in at No. 23. Lipscomb was also listed as the top Christian university in the state of Tennessee. These rankings have been based on 50 statistics and ratings from thousands of surveyed students. This is not the first time Lipscomb has received recognition for its high standards and distinctions. In December 2014, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named Lipscomb on its list of best values in private universities for 2015. This listing is the first time Lipscomb has been among other top schools in the nation, such as Harvard, Vanderbilt and Duke. Students come to Lipscomb for many reasons — for some it’s the faith aspect, academic quality and community feel. Junior Anna Lail from Charlotte, North Carolina said that she has experienced transforming moments through Lipscomb. “I had a life changing experience on a mission trip to Haiti and knew I needed to change my life’s path,” Lail said. “Knowing that Lipscomb is in the top 25 in the country has made me realize I made the right decision switching schools and majoring in theology.” For freshman Joel Cottrill from Columbus, Ohio, Lipscomb’s location and spiritual emphasis were huge decision-making factors. “My main objective in finding a college was that it was in the South and Christian,” Cottrill said. “My brother goes here and I knew spiritually that Lipscomb would be perfect for me and I’m happy with my choice. “Lipscomb was also my first choice as I...

Bisons set for big weekend at Vanderbilt

The Christmas season is over, and now spring season sports are back in full swing at Lipscomb with competition already underway. To start off the season, track and field and men’s tennis will both be traveling to Vanderbilt over the weekend. Men’s tennis has added four new players to its roster, enabling them to participate in their main season with a full team. Coach Mario Hernandez is excited for the next few months and believes that the bright, new players will bring a fresh dimension to the team. “There are a lot of things we have to get used to, especially being such a young team,” Hernandez said. “From what I have seen at practices, the guys are pumped to play and I can see that they are hungry to start this season.” Freshman Philippe Courteau has his eyes set on a victory. “This is my first collegiate match and I am excited to compete with these guys as a new Bison,” Courteau said. “I have waited two years for this moment since I began looking to play for a University, and I am ready to get out there and hit balls against some of the top men in the country.” The match begins on Jan. 16  at 5 p.m. at Vanderbilt’s indoor courts. The Commodores are standing at no.19 in the country, with one of their players in the top 10 when the NCAA rankings were revealed at the beginning of January. The rankings have given the Bisons some momentum, and they are looking for an upset. “The boys are coming into this competition as the underdogs, we have respect for this...