by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 10, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
There are plenty of reasons to believe that this could be the year for the Lipscomb men’s basketball team to make its first-ever NCAA tournament. However, a tough schedule, multiple injuries and Florida Gulf Coast stand in the way of the Bisons’ dream of an ASUN title. Those obstacles aren’t keeping coach Casey Alexander from being excited to start the season this Friday against Emory University. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. at Allen Arena. “It’s about having the mentality of trying to get better every day, rather than looking at the big picture,” Alexander said. “We’re looking at what’s right in front of us and our guys have had a great mentality this offseason.” Six storylines to watch this season: How can Lipscomb navigate its tough schedule? The Bisons scheduled a challenging non-conference slate that includes the likes of Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Purdue and Navy. Last December, Lipscomb upset Missouri on the road by beating the Tigers 81-76 and also played a tight game with Tennessee – a 92-77 loss in Knoxville. “We’ll go into each of those preparing and expecting to win,” Alexander said. “We saw last year at Missouri that we can win those kinds of games. The most important thing is to be who we are, no matter who we are playing.” When will point guards get healthy? Senior guard Nathan Moran and sophomore guard Kenny Cooper will both miss Friday’s season opener. Moran is still recovering from offseason surgery, while Cooper suffered a lower-leg injury during preseason practice. It’s unclear when either player will be healthy, but Alexander said Cooper could return to the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 9, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team hasn’t had a winning record since the 2003-04 season, when the Bisons went 20-12 and advanced to the NCAA tournament. That isn’t keeping sixth-year head coach Greg Brown from pointing out the positives – even if his team went 6-24 last year. Lipscomb had 10 new players on its roster in 2016-17, including six true freshmen and four transfers. “You go from 10 newcomers last year and having to introduce everything, but now they know what’s going on,” Brown said. “It makes things easier and the players know what to expect as far as travel and game preparation go.” This year’s roster features seven seniors and a wealth of experience. Brown hopes that will help the Bisons improve, despite being picked to finish last in the ASUN. “We have to do three simple things defensively: keep the ball out of the paint, contest shots and block out,” Brown said of the team’s keys to success. “I feel good about our shooting, so we just need to take care of the ball and get some [defensive] stops.” Five things to watch this season: Coaching staff shakeup Lipscomb overhauled its coaching staff with the additions of new assistants in Hannah Phillips and Aaron Holland. Phillips played for the Bisons from 2009-13 and briefly played professionally in Australia following her collegiate career. Holland was the head coach at Motlow State Community College before joining the Lipscomb staff this offseason. “We’ve had more energy and the players have enjoyed having [the new coaches],” Brown said. “Both coaches bring tons of energy to what we’re doing and we needed that.” New...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 6, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
For the first half of Sunday’s ASUN final, the Lipscomb women’s soccer team was within arm’s reach of its first-ever conference title. Florida Gulf Coast was not having any part of it. The Eagles recovered from a 2-0 deficit with two second-half tallies and a double-overtime goal to top the Bisons, 3-2, at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. With the victory, FGCU took its fourth-consecutive ASUN championship and clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament. “We had a really difficult semifinal that drained us – probably more than FGCU’s semifinal drained them,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “We kind of ran out of gas. We didn’t have the legs we needed to push through it.” FGCU downed Lipscomb in both the 2015 and 2016 title games, and ultimately had the Bisons’ number once again this year, as Varin Ness scored a breakaway goal to lift the Eagles in sudden-death overtime. “To lose the conference final in Golden Goal…these girls are going to be hurting,” O’Brien said. “But I tell them each and every week that their identity isn’t found in soccer.” With 19 minutes left in the first half, Lipscomb went up 1-0 when Hannah Torbett rocketed a shot off the post and into the back of the net. The tally – Torbett’s first of the season – came from nearly 25 yards out. 12 minutes later, Lipscomb’s Ellen Lundy made it 2-0 with her eighth goal of the season. The score came off a cross from Olivia Doak that was headed to Lundy by Arielle Hansford. FGCU’s Holly Fritz and Camille Knudstrup each tallied second-half goals to knot the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 4, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
For the third consecutive year, the Lipscomb women’s soccer team will play Florida Gulf Coast for the ASUN title. Unlike the previous two meetings, the 2017 edition of the championship game will be played in Nashville. The Bisons used an early goal from Justis Bailey to defeat Kennesaw State 1-0 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Friday, setting up a chance for revenge against the Eagles on Sunday. “It was a competitive tournament game,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “You could feel the tension, the emotion and the passion – it was all on display. It was incredible.” Bailey’s goal came in the 11th minute, when the junior defender received a pass from Natalie Duboise and headed the ball into the top right corner of the net. The tally was Bailey’s first of her career. “I’ll be honest with you – I’m completely shocked that’s her first one,” O’Brien said of Bailey’s goal. “She’s very good in the air and (the goal) came at the perfect time. She’s been a great player for us this year, and she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves.” Lipscomb had numerous scoring chances in the second half but was unable to cash in on any of its opportunities for an insurance goal. Senior Ellen Lundy opened the second half with a header off the post, and later sophomore Jordan Walsh sent a shot just over the crossbar. Lipscomb forward Olivia Doak found the back of the net with 20 minutes remaining, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul. “A second goal could have taken the steam out of the game, but we weren’t able...
by Russell Vannozzi | Oct 23, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Lipscomb women’s soccer team will be sleeping in their own beds when the ASUN conference tournament rolls around on Nov. 3. That’s because the Bisons clinched the No. 1 seed after reeling off four straight conference victories in the first two-and-a-half weeks of October – including a 1-0 win at No. 25 Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 17. Senior Ellen Lundy scored on a penalty kick to knock off the Eagles, who topped Lipscomb in both the 2015 and 2016 ASUN conference title games. “It’s been a long time coming,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “We’ve lost to (FGCU) in the last two conference championships, so if I had [to list] a nemesis, they would be ours. Our players were really fired up for that game.” Lundy has been the key cog for Lipscomb and she leads the team with seven goals – four of which have been game-winning tallies. “What makes [Lundy] so incredible is that she’s got no ego,” O’Brien said. “If you ask her to play in the back, she’s plays in the back with everyone’s she’s got. If you ask her to play up front, she’ll play up front with everything she’s got. She the epitome of a team player.” In addition to the FGCU win, Lipscomb defeated NJIT, North Florida, Jacksonville and USC Upstate in conference play. The Bisons will get a first-round bye for their efforts and will play the winner of the Kennesaw State-North Florida game on Nov. 3. “It’s huge,” O’Brien said of the bye. “We’ve got some players that are worn down and injured, so they’ll have some extra...
