by LeBron Hill | Mar 12, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Transitions can be hard — moving out of your parents’ house and actually paying bills, or when your university changes from Pepsi to Coke. #neverforget With Marvel’s highly anticipated “Avengers: Endgame” premiering late next month, “Captain Marvel” sneaks in as the last superhero introduced in Phase Three, Marvel’s timeline of character storylines, thus transitioning into the next chapter of the Marvel Universe. The movie isn’t anything too spectacular; it doesn’t help that it’s placed in the middle of “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” acting as an appetizer before we devour the main course. Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) finds herself right in the middle of the war between the warmongering Kree and the shapeshifting Skrulls. With her mind swiped of her memories, Carol Danvers must hone her newly-found radioactive powers and regain who she is. The storyline is solid, but the overall ideas and themes are overdone. You enter into “Total Recall“ territory with the lost memory premise and then combine that with an intergalactic war of “Star Wars” proportions and sprinkle in “Star Trek”-like cosmetics. Larson’s supporting cast is a bright spot of the film, which is led by Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes) and Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), and you can’t have a Marvel movie without the Kangol-wearing king of box office blockbusters, Samuel L. Jackson. It makes sense that casting for this film would be so strong, considering how importantly the storytelling in this film will lead into more to come. In the comics, Captain Marvel becomes the new leader of the Avengers with Iron Man passing the torch to her. It seems to be the way the movies...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 11, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s basketball season wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. Not after rolling through the ASUN and taking the league’s No. 1 seed. Not with five seniors, three of which are 1,000-point scorers. Not with the conference Player of the Year on its roster. Not with road victories at TCU, SMU and Liberty. No, no, no. Absolutely not. 2019 was supposed to be Lipscomb’s year. The Bisons were to be everyone’s NCAA tournament darling – the team that was built to potentially ruin brackets. Every major bracketologist had Lipscomb in the field of 68. But in sports, and especially in March, there are no guarantees. And that’s exactly why we watch with such anticipation, even though there’s always a chance for heartbreak. And there was plenty of heartbreak to go around Sunday in Allen Arena, where Lipscomb dropped a 74-68 loss to Liberty in the ASUN championship. The Flames get to go dancing, the Bisons get to go to the NIT. “It’s disappointing,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “One of the hats you wear when you’re the head coach…you’re responsible for making a lot of people happy. Personally, I hate that we couldn’t deliver the final result that would have kind of put the whole thing over the top.” The Flames earned it. They made shots when it mattered most, including Scottie James’ go-ahead layup with 56 seconds left and a dagger three-pointer from Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz 40 seconds later. Meanwhile, Lipscomb’s stars faded at the end. Mathews committed the turnover that led to James’ layup and later missed a three-pointer with four ticks remaining. Rob Marberry missed a layup...
by Mckenzi Harris | Mar 11, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team had a chance to earn a return trip to the NCAA tournament if it could win Sunday’s ASUN championship game. But Liberty (28-6) stood in the way, and most of the record crowd of 5,607 in Allen Arena went home in disappointment. The Flames used a 45-point outburst in the second half to squeeze past the No. 1 Bisons, 74-68. That gave the No. 2 Flames the ASUN championship and an automatic berth to the Big Dance. “It certainly stings,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “It’s a real privilege to be part of a game like that. I loved the Lipscomb people that showed up and made it a great day for us.” Full recap by Russell Vannozzi here. « ‹ of 4 ›...
by Spencer Boehme | Mar 11, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
The stage was set for the ASUN men’s basketball championship game on Sunday afternoon. After a stormy Saturday, the sun came out and fans began filling Allen Arena to watch the No. 1 Lipscomb Bisons (25-7) take on the No. 2 Liberty Flames (28-6). And then Lipscomb lost a heart-wrenching, back-and-forth contest, 74-68. “It was an unbelievable day,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “And I’m proud of our team for being in a position to host this game, and I love the Lipscomb people who showed up and made it a great day for us.” 5,607 fans showed up to the sellout game, setting a new Allen Arena record. It was difficult to find an empty seat, and the raucous crowd made itself seen and heard. Instead, Sunday’s game featured towel-waving fans in a nationally televised game that lived up to its expectations. “I think the ASUN won tonight,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said. “That crowd was terrific. That was a great atmosphere.” The big question is: can Lipscomb continue to fill its arena? First, we have to acknowledge the fact that Sunday’s game was special and doesn’t happen every day. That makes my answer an immediate ‘no.’ Second is the fact that Lipscomb lost on Sunday. That’s not to diminish the novelty of Sunday, especially when you look at the Bisons’ recent attendance boosts. Starters Kenny Cooper and Michael Buckland will be seniors next season. Redshirt freshman Ahsan Asadullah played some solid basketball on Sunday with eight points, nine rebounds and two steals. The fans loved watching him. Overall, there are a lot of bench players who...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team had a chance to earn a return trip to the NCAA tournament if it could win Sunday’s ASUN championship game. But Liberty (28-6) stood in the way, and most of the record crowd of 5,607 in Allen Arena went home in disappointment. The Flames used a 45-point outburst in the second half to squeeze past the No. 1 Bisons, 74-68. That gave the No. 2 Flames the ASUN championship and an automatic berth to the Big Dance. “It certainly stings,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “It’s a real privilege to be part of a game like that. I loved the Lipscomb people that showed up and made it a great day for us.” Despite an impressive regular season that included 11 road wins and a No. 42 NET ranking, Lipscomb (25-7) is likely heading to the NIT. Seeds and pairings for both tournaments will be announced next Sunday, March 17. Liberty forward Scottie James made a layup with 56 seconds remaining to give his team the lead for good, and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz hit a three on the next possession to extend that advantage to 70-66. Lipscomb senior Rob Marberry then converted a jumper and drew a foul, but he missed the free throw, and James hit two freebies to ice the title for Liberty. “They’re a resilient team, a tough team,” Lipscomb junior Kenny Cooper said. “They know what they’re running, and they run it well. Kudos to them for sticking to their plan and pulling it out.” Liberty went on a 9-0 run to end the first half and took a 29-28 lead...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The scenarios for Sunday’s ASUN championship game are simple: winner goes to the NCAA tournament, loser goes to the NIT. It’s the rubber match for No. 1 Lipscomb and No. 2 Liberty, and this time, the teams will battle on a national stage. The game will be televised by ESPN, and a sellout crowd is expected in Allen Arena. “I would almost say it’ll be a similar feeling to when we went to March Madness last year, but it’ll be on our home floor,” Lipscomb senior Garrison Mathews said. “It’s going to be crazy to play in front of that many fans that are going for [us].” Lipscomb (25-6) knocked off Kennesaw State and NJIT to reach its second-straight title game. The Bisons beat Florida Gulf Coast 108-96 to advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Meanwhile, Liberty (27-6) beat Jacksonville and North Florida to earn a trip to Nashville and a chance for a title in its first season as a member of the ASUN. On Jan. 29, Lipscomb crushed Liberty on its home-court, 77-55. The Flames then returned the favor by handing the Bisons a 74-66 loss two weeks later. The two teams play different styles, but something must give this time. “The styles were what was so different,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “The first game better reflected how we like to play, the second one better reflected how they like to play. It’s not always that simple, but that will go a long way toward who wins this game.” BREAKING DOWN THE FLAMES: Liberty had a clear path to the...
