by Danny Kotula | Nov 17, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team beat the Shorter Hawks 73-50 in their home opener at Allen Arena Tuesday night. It was never made easy for them, but the Bisons were resolute and found a way to win against a feisty Shorter side. Nine players scored 4 or more points for Lipscomb, as they used their depth to outlast the Hawks in the second half and take control of the game. After two losses to start the season against BYU and Utah, the coaching staff continued with the process and found the win it warranted. “Our mindset going into this game was the same,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said. “We’re just really focused on getting better every single day, especially on the defensive end. We were glad to see a little bit of improvement.” Freshman point guard Jordan Peete led the Bisons offensively with 17 points, also contributing 2 rebounds and an assist. Junior forward and Belmont transfer Maddie Cook added 9 points and 8 rebounds for the Bisons in her first game at Allen Arena in purple and gold. “Every time there’s a new first with the team, it’s a little bit weird,” Cook said. “I’m getting used to it, but the energy is amazing. Being here with my teammates, I feel right at home.” Despite their contributions, however, the Hawks made it difficult for the Bisons throughout, especially in the first half. On the back of hot shooting from Jasmine Gaines, who put up 8 points in the first quarter alone and ended with 20, Shorter raced out to a 9-4 lead at the first media break. Senior...
by Danny Kotula | Nov 15, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb volleyball team came back from a 2-0 deficit in sets to beat the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Allen Arena. After a 3-0 loss to the Gamecocks away from home, it looked by all accounts that Lipscomb was headed for the same fate at home in the final game of the regular season for both squads. Behind inspired play from a pair of true freshmen, however, Lipscomb found a way back from an improbable position, winning three straight sets to take the match. Oceanside, California-born hitter Anna Aubele reached 10 kills on 22 attacks, providing a big piece of the spark that brought the Bisons back. Fellow freshman hitter Addi Pelham, a native of Lenexa, Kansas, added six kills offensively for Lipscomb. Meanwhile, a familiar face led the charge at the net for Lipscomb. Sophomore outside hitter Kam Bacus led the team in kills with 17 and also contributed two blocks and a dig. “Obviously, Jacksonville State swept us earlier in the season, and so we just had a little chip on our shoulder,” Bacus said. “Nothing but confidence going into the ASUN Tournament.” That chip led the Bisons to a big finish in Set 3 just to keep the game alive. After four straight points from the Gamecocks, Lipscomb found themselves against the ropes and even at 21. Two straight attack errors from JSU put the Bisons in better position, and a kill from Pelham sealed the deal for Lipscomb, taking a 25-22 victory and forcing a fourth set. In the fourth period, the Bisons only trailed twice, but had to respond to yet...
by Danny Kotula | Nov 15, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s soccer team won the 2021 ASUN Championship Final over Central Arkansas in a 4-1 decision at Lipscomb Soccer Complex Saturday night. Two goals in each half gave the Bisons their third victory at home against the Bears in the past two years. More importantly, the win gives Lipscomb a berth in the NCAA College Cup, the Division I national tournament for men’s soccer, as ASUN Conference representatives. Junior attacker Hayes Wood, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, scored twice in an integral contribution for the Bisons on the evening. His first goal gave Lipscomb a lead they would never relinquish in the 28th minute. Sophomore forward Tyrece Spicer carried the ball down the right side of attack with purpose, and his cutback found Wood in the center of the box with a point-blank finish. “It felt amazing,” Wood said of the game’s first goal. “Just gets the game set and gets some momentum going. It felt so good to get us on the board.” The opener came mostly against the run of play, as Central Arkansas controlled the bulk of possession during the first 20 minutes of the match. Momentum quickly shifted towards the home side after the goal, though, and they converted that atmosphere into a second goal. Spicer, a Trinidad and Tobago-born striker who came off the bench, provided the assist once again on another tantalizing cross from out wide. This time, Spicer’s service found graduate transfer Bakary Bagayoko, a striker from Bronx, New York, who joined Lipscomb this year after four years at NAIA program Cumberland. Bagayoko delivered from the edge of the six-yard...
by Danny Kotula | Nov 14, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s soccer team lost 3-0 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA College Cup to the Tennessee Lady Vols at Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville. In only their fifth loss all year, the Bisons were let down by errors at unfortunate times and ultimately outclassed by the sixth-best team in the nation. The opening period of play belonged to Tennessee, as only a slew of saves from sophomore goalkeeper CJ Graham kept the Lady Vols from scoring within the first 10 minutes. Graham faced 16 shots over the course of the match and made 5 saves. A screamer from outside the box was what it took to beat the nation’s leading goalkeeper in clean sheets with 13, and that was what Abbey Burdette provided for the home side in the 28th minute. That 1-0 lead would hold into the halftime break. “I think in the first half, we were a little frazzled,” Cami Rogers, a junior midfielder from Prattville, Alabama, said. “In the locker room and going into the second half, we were like, ‘okay, it’s 1-0. We can play with them, and we can do this.’ I think we think we saw that in the second half. “ “Two unfortunate goals happened, but that’s okay, that’s just part of the game,” the Auburn transfer said. “But I’m thankful to do it with this team.” Indeed, the Bisons battled back and showed resilience and creativity in the attack as the second half started. True freshman Shadia Valenzuela caused problems for the Bisons up front, providing hold-up play that kept the Bisons in possession after a first...
by Danny Kotula | Nov 10, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team kicked off the 2021-22 season with a high-scoring 105-98 win over Division III opponents Birmingham-Southern. The Bisons took control early, but had to weather various comeback efforts by the Panthers to win in their first game since bowing out of the ASUN Tournament in the first round last year. Offensively, Sheboygan, Wisconsin-born Jacob Ognacevic led Lipscomb with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and an assist. It took his entire contribution for the Bisons to stave off an upset attempt by the Panthers, an old NAIA rival of the Bisons decades ago. Jonathan Stewart provided 28 points for the Panthers on 10-for-15 shooting from the field. Stewart added 14 rebounds for a double-double in the loss for BSC. “I’ll be honest: I don’t feel like we played particularly well”, assistant coach Kevin Carroll said. “Ahsan Asadullah is our go-to guy, and he just had kind of an off night tonight. Even JO [Ognacevic] had a couple of uncharacteristic misses.” “The mark of a good team is finding different ways to win,” Carroll said. “There’s no one formula for winning. You’re going to play different teams that play different styles, but good teams just find a way to outlast the other team, and that’s what we did tonight.” The Panthers kept it close throughout, staying within 10 points during the entire first period. Pacing the Panthers was Stewart, who poured in 10 points in the first half and kept Lipscomb honest defensively. Freshman forward Jacob Ognacevic put up 12 of his 30 points in the first period, leading the way off the bench in his first appearance...
