by Russell Vannozzi | Jan 25, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Florida Gulf Coast men’s basketball team has undergone significant personnel changes since dropping a 108-96 contest to Lipscomb in the ASUN title game last March. But the result was the same Thursday night. Lipscomb (15-4, 6-0 ASUN) used 13 three-pointers to pull away from the Eagles for an 89-81 victory at Allen Arena. “It was nice to find a way [to win],” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “I give FGCU a lot of credit – they played tough. But we had some experienced guys make some experienced plays, and that turned out to be the difference.” Senior guard Garrison Mathews went for 31 points, and he hit six of Lipscomb’s 13 threes. Matt Rose added a trio of three-pointers, while Nathan Moran and Michael Buckland each had two apiece. Mathews’ outing was his best since scoring 29 points at Middle Tennessee on Dec. 1. “[Garrison] wanted the ball and he delivered,” Alexander said. “He got to the line, he made tough twos, he made big threes. It was a complete game for him.” Mathews and Moran hit back-to-back threes with just 1:23 remaining to take an 81-73 lead and prevent any hope of an FGCU comeback. “All of us were knocking down shots tonight,” Mathews said. “Nate hit that big-time three at the end that really kind of sealed the deal. I was just fortunate to knock some down.” The offseason was not kind to the Eagles (7-14, 2-4 ASUN). Coach Joe Dooley left for East Carolina, reigning ASUN Player of the Year Brandon Goodwin graduated and went to the NBA and Zach Johnson transferred to Miami, leaving...
by Russell Vannozzi | Jan 22, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
March is still a long ways off, but the Lipscomb men’s basketball team has consistently appeared in various predictions for the Big Dance. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed the Bisons as a No. 12 seed playing Villanova in Salt Lake City. CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm also tabbed Lipscomb as a No. 12 seed, but he had the Bisons playing North Carolina in San Jose. SB Nation will release its new projections on Tuesday, but the Bisons were listed as a No. 2 seed in the NIT in last week’s edition. Bisons land at No. 46 in NET rankings; still rank high in mid-major polls The latest NET rankings have Lipscomb at No. 46 in the country – slightly down from its previous ranking of No. 39 on Jan. 17. But that is still good for second-best in the state behind No. 4 Tennessee. The Bisons are also No. 10 in SB Nation’s Mid-Major Madness poll and No. 8 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Greg Jones likely to miss rest of season Coach Casey Alexander confirmed that guard Greg Jones is expected to miss the remainder of the year with a knee injury that will require surgery. The sophomore last played on Dec. 12 at Louisville and only appeared in nine games this season. The news is especially crushing because Alexander believed Jones was heading for a “breakout” campaign. “He had a great preseason in the summer and fall, and he played with great confidence,” Alexander said. “He made great contributions as a sub off the bench early in the year. But he’s got some great days ahead.” Alexander...
by Spencer Boehme | Jan 22, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team continued to steamroll through the ASUN as the Bisons grabbed an 86-57 win over the Kennesaw State Owls in Allen Arena Monday night. The Owls (3-17, 0-5 ASUN) kept things a bit too close for comfort for Lipscomb at first, but the Bisons (14-4, 5-0 ASUN) broke away in the second half to stay perfect in conference play. “[You’ve] gotta be prepared for everything,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “And I felt like our guys handled the game where we never really played with great rhythm but still [won] by 29.” The Bisons were led by senior guard Garrison Mathews, who posted 25 points and tied for a team-leading four assists. Senior guard Nathan Moran led the Bisons in three-pointers, shooting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. “It’s just a start, and we have a lot of work to do,” Moran said. “If we can finish and do another 5-0, and another 5-0 [and] another 5-0, who knows where we’ll be?” Redshirt junior guard Tyler Hooker scored 18 for the Owls and led his team with five rebounds. Junior forward Isaac Mbuyamba finished with three blocks. The Bisons went 20-of-27 on free throws compared to the Owls’ 15-of-22. They also out-rebounded Kennesaw State 42-31, with 11 of those coming from senior forward Eli Pepper. Lipscomb won the steal battle, 8-5. “[Kennesaw State’s] pace is tough for us,” Alexander said. “Their tempo is slow and [they have] a lot of long possessions defensively.” The Owls played competitively for the first six minutes of the game, as they cut Lipscomb’s 7-2 lead to 11-7 with 14:36 to...
by LeBron Hill | Jan 21, 2019 | News Slider
This year’s MLK Diversity Breakfast featured mayor’s office Chief Equity Officer Ashford Hughes as keynote speaker. Lumination reporter Lebron Hill was there to report and speak to Lipscomb faculty and guests as they reflected on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and shared their perspectives on the importance of inclusion to our...
by Martin Baker | Jan 20, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
With the first game of the season only three weeks away, the Lipscomb softball team is preparing for what has all the looks of a promising season. The team only lost two seniors from last year and retained most of its strengths at the plate and on the mound. “Our speed game is good, as well as having heavy hitters with the likes of Jenna Pealor and Jordan Fortel,” Lipscomb assistant Megan Rhodes-Smith said. “And our defense is strong with players like Peyton Ward at shortstop and Hannah DeVault at second base.” Devault was just voted the ASUN’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. She made only three errors in 2018 and finished the season with an ASUN-leading .983 fielding percentage. Another advantage the team has is the depth of their bench, including of six pitchers. Coach Rhodes-Smith said it’s not typical to have that many on a roster, but that it’s a “good problem to have.” One of those pitchers is a familiar face to Lipscomb Athletics. Chloe Rogers, a former Lipscomb volleyball player, decided to join the softball team for her fifth year playing four seasons for coach Brandon Rosenthal. In their preseason games during this fall, the team went 8-0 against the competition, which included some fellow NCAA Division I schools. Coach Rhodes-Smith said that “the hardest competition is ourselves” and that the toughest offense and defense the team has faced has been their own in practice. However, she did mention that Liberty is new to the conference and will be a somewhat unknown factor and that Florida Gulf Coast has been a tough opponent in the...
by Kathryn Farris | Jan 20, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Gloomy skies and flooded sidewalks didn’t stop the crowds from gathering at Governor Bill Lee’s inauguration on Saturday. The inauguration was moved indoors to the War Memorial Auditorium after concerns over inclement weather. The new location caused problems due to the limited capacity of the auditorium, and some ticketholders were turned away from seats they had already reserved. Austin Travis, a freshman political science and history major at Lipscomb, was one of those attending the inauguration. Travis said he voted for Lee because of his stances on criminal justice reform and his goals in improving vocational and technical education. Travis noted that he is optimistic for Lee’s upcoming term, but he also expressed concern for Lee’s transition from the business world to politics. “He can’t just tell someone to do something and it gets done anymore,” Travis said. “He’s got to get those proposals approved by the General Assembly, and he has to make sure he never oversteps his bounds as governor. But he’s a smart guy; I think he’ll adapt fairly quickly.” Inauguration attendee Ed Elam spoke about his trust in the new governor. Elam said he voted for Lee because of his integrity and values. “I am expecting some transparency [from Lee],” Elam said. “My experience and knowledge with him is that he looks at everyone as Tennesseans. He promotes inclusiveness not divisiveness. I expect him to pull everyone together.” Tennessean Adam Smith had more personal motivations when he was in the voting booth. Smith met Lee seven years ago through the Y-CAP program, an outreach organization that serves teens. Lee became a mentor for Smith. “He saw a...
