by Danny Kotula | Mar 2, 2022 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb men’s basketball team used a 28-point performance from center Ahsan Asadullah to win 74-65 over the North Florida Ospreys in the First Round of the 2022 ASUN Tournament. “When you get to conference tournament time, it’s one and done, and I thought it was our best defensive effort tonight,” Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff said. “From tip to horn, I thought we played really, really hard.” A fourth-year junior from Atlanta, Asadullah shot 12-20 from the field and added 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Asadullah was named as a First Team All-ASUN selection for the third straight year after leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks. Graduate forward Parker Hazen added 17 points inside for the Bisons, highlighting a dominant display in the paint against UNF. Hazen added 7 rebounds and went 6-8 from the free throw line. The Bisons only went 3-15 on three-pointers over the course of the game, with freshman Trae Benham held under 10 points for the first time in four games. To compensate, Lipscomb scored 46 points in the paint to North Florida’s 26. “Between [Asadullah and Hazen], you’ve got 45 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists, so that’s a pretty good night at the office,” Acuff said. “Before the game, we knew that they were probably going to play us one-on-one,” Asadullah said of his matchup against the Ospreys. “I knew I had to look out for them taking charges, but I knew I had to just make the adjustment.” UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll was complimentary of Asadullah and the difficulty he created on the evening...
by Danny Kotula | Feb 28, 2022 | News Slider, Sports
For a college basketball fan, nothing beats the excitement of early March. Late-game heroics, surprising upsets, and winner-take-all pressure have become much more expectation than exception in recent years. For the Lipscomb women’s and men’s basketball teams, the mayhem that is March basketball starts with the ASUN Tournament. The ASUN Tournament offers a trip to the NCAA National Tournament to its winner, a prize that few mid-major teams would achieve without the automatic bid. While most conference tournaments take place at a single host site, the ASUN Tournament is one of four in which the higher seed in each individual game hosts the game. The ASUN Conference has 12 teams, all of which compete in the conference’s postseason tournament. While neither of Lipscomb’s teams are in strong position to win the ASUN title this year, all it takes is four straight wins to qualify for March Madness–and again, surprising moments aren’t quite so surprising in March. Both the men’s and women’s teams earned a 4-seed in the West Division with wins on the final day of the regular season last Saturday. As a result, both teams get to host one final game at Allen Arena this week in the ASUN Tournament’s first round. Though first-round home games are in hand early this week, Lipscomb will set their sights on continuing to win and making the next two weeks last as long as possible. Here’s a look at how far each team can take their postseason and what their chances are of going all the way. Men’s Tournament Lipscomb enters the 2022 ASUN Tournament at a low point for the...
by Danny Kotula | Feb 27, 2022 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb women’s basketball team defeated the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears 50-46 Saturday afternoon at Allen Arena on senior day. With the win, Lipscomb secures at least one more game at Allen Arena for Sydney Shelton and Taylor Hammack, the two players graduating after this season. Seeding advantages for the ASUN Tournament next week were on the line in a battle between ASUN West Division teams deadlocked at 4-11 in conference play, and the stakes were evident from opening tip. Neither side could manage any offensive momentum early, but UCA had the advantage in the early going. The Sugar Bears grew an early lead to 9-1 at the 3:48 mark in the first quarter, riding strong defense to the largest lead of the game for either team. “They’re probably one of the best teams in our league as far as being dominant in the post,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said, “but I think we did a good job sticking to our guns.” A pair of three-pointers from sophomore Jalyn Holcomb and junior Blythe Pearson, respectively, helped Lipscomb make an 8-2 run to cut the lead to two after the first frame. True freshman Bella Vinson scored a buzzer-beating layup inside to cap off the run and make the score 11-9 at the break. Vinson finished with a team-leading 12 points and added four rebounds for the Bisons. “My teammates have been scoring, so they opened up the floor for me,” Vinson said. “I’m glad I could convert this game.” Vinson scored again early in the second quarter on a three to give Lipscomb their first lead at...
by Danny Kotula | Feb 25, 2022 | News Slider, Sports
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – For almost every team across all sports and levels, no matter how successful it may be, there is a distinguishable low point. In the Lipscomb women’s basketball team’s case, it’s hard not to argue that their low point just arrived after a 20-point loss to Bellarmine Thursday night. The Knights’ were 3-23 overall and a winless 0-14 in the ASUN Conference leading up to their 68-48 win at historic Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Giving a team their first conference win of the season is disappointing enough, but according to assistant coach Chris Sumski, the biggest issue on the night was a lack of effort. “I don’t know if we didn’t take them seriously, [and] there’s no such thing as an easy conference win, but we just didn’t have it today,” Sumski said. “It was unacceptable.” “It better [change Saturday versus Central Arkansas], or it’s going to be an embarrassing finish to the season,” Sumski said. Presley Brown paced the Knights with 17 points, one of five players who scored in double figures for the home team. Baylee Harney, Claire Knies, Mackenzie Keelin, and Katherine Scott also scored 10-plus points for Bellarmine. Second-year freshman guard Jordan Peete and sophomore wing Jalyn Holcomb scored 11 points each to lead the Bisons, who failed to score 50 points for only the third time this season. Peete shot 4-5 from the field but committed six of Lipscomb’s 17 turnovers on the night. Holcomb added four rebounds and two assists. The first quarter saw the Bisons shoot just 2-12 from the field on offense, scoring their lowest point total in...
by Danny Kotula | Feb 24, 2022 | News Slider, Sports
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost a 76-73 decision to the Bellarmine Knights Wednesday night at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. After trailing by nine points at halftime, a missed three-pointer as time expired from junior Greg Jones kept Lipscomb from forcing overtime against the Knights. “We didn’t quit,” Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff said. “I thought we showed a strong chin, you know: we got [the lead] down to two and just had four bad possessions at the end.” Second-year freshman guard Will Pruitt led the Bisons with 18 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor. The Mt. Juliet, Tennessee-born point guard made three first-half three-pointers en route to a 3-5 mark from beyond the arc on the day. “Will played really well,” Acuff said. “He’s had a great year. Tonight was just kind of indicative of the way he’s played all year; he’s a great player and a winning player.” Junior center Ahsan Asadullah scored eight points, adding six rebounds and six assists to lead the Bisons in both categories. After leaking points all over the floor to an effective Bellarmine offense, Lipscomb found its way defensively in the second half. The Bisons allowed 6-12 shooting from deep by the home team in the first half, but held Bellarmine to just 1-9 from three in the second half. However, points in the paint were troublesome for Lipscomb throughout. The Knights knocked in 48 points in the paint across the game, doubling Lipscomb’s total of 24. Leading the charge inside for the home side was Dylan Penn, who went 8-10 on field goals and scored...
