by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 5, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
It’s been nearly 20 months since Nathan Moran has appeared in a basketball game for the Lipscomb Bisons. The team won its first-ever ASUN tournament title and made its first NCAA tournament appearance while Moran rode the bench as a redshirt last season. But that certainly wasn’t by choice. The former walk-on has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and he discovered after his junior season that he had torn labrums in both hips. To make matters worse, Moran’s right hip also required microfracture surgery. “The cartridge had peeled off, so they had to drill holes in my bone,” Moran said of his right hip. “That was a super long recovery and it was very painful. When I thought I was getting back, I wasn’t [healthy], which was stressful.” After a lengthy recovery, the sharpshooter is finally ready to get back on the court. He is expected to play in Lipscomb’s opener against Sewanee on Tuesday. “I’m close to 100 percent,” he said. “I’ve had some good weeks and some bad weeks. I’m feeling good right now at the right time.” Moran’s ball-handling and shooting were sorely missed last season, according to Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander. “I think we were lucky to survive without him because he means that much to our team,” Alexander said. “In that sense, it’s great to have him back.” Moran returned to practice in January, but his lack of lateral mobility at the time made a midseason return impossible. He then took a redshirt season to salvage his final year of eligibility. “We thought that if I didn’t have microfracture [surgery] on my right...
by Alie Smith | Nov 5, 2018 | News Slider, Opinion
Lipscomb University is deserted on Tuesday morning. The student center, usually stuffed with commotion, is silent. The parking lot, usually dangerously full, is empty. The buildings are grand statues without people inside. The trees swaying in the fall breeze are the only motion this campus will see on the morning of November 6, 2018. The Starbucks will not brew coffee for anyone, desks will be unoccupied in early morning classes and the Bell Tower will ring for no one to hear it. A bystander might believe that the campus has been evacuated. The energy that usually covers every square inch of the University has been pushed outside and spread throughout our city and state. The Bison Herd has migrated to the polls. For this limited time, Lipscomb will join together for something that isn’t chapel. Faculty, staff and students alike will have abandoned this small school in Nashville for something bigger than us all. This stark landscape is the effect of Tuesday being Election Day. Our community is not running around in our usual stomping grounds, we are waiting patiently to change our state and, hopefully, our country and our world. While some Tennesseans will sleep in on this fateful morning, we will as a community grasp the future in our hands and shape it the way we see fit. We will go to the ballot box with a prayer and a decision already made. We will not worry about raising our hand for fear of getting the answer wrong, so we cast a vote. We try to discern the difference between statesman and politicians and hope to be...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 4, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb freshman Zarek Jakubowski picked a key time for his second career goal, and junior Ben Locke found plenty of space for his rocket shot in the first half. Those goals gave the Bisons a 2-1 victory over Jacksonville in the ASUN men’s soccer semifinals at Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Sunday, propelling the Bisons to their second-straight ASUN title game appearance. “In September, we hit [a] rough patch and weren’t sure if we were going to turn it around or not,” Lipscomb soccer coach Charles Morrow said. “We were certainly talented enough. From a coach’s standpoint, we believed we could [return to the title game], and I don’t think the players ever doubted that they could.” The Bisons topped Jacksonville by the same score to win last year’s title and advance to their first-ever NCAA tournament. But after graduating 10 seniors, Lipscomb had to find production from its younger players. The team started the season 1-7, including a 3-2 loss in double overtime at Jacksonville on Sept. 22. “We’re not the same team we were in September,” Morrow said. “This is a team that has continued to grow and develop. We knew we were a work in progress earlier in the year.” Lipscomb took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when Locke fired a low shot into the bottom-left corner of the net off a feed from Austin Eager. Two minutes later, Jacksonville forward Reed Davis potted his sixth goal of the season to tie the score at one. Jakubowski’s tally came when Jacksonville goalie Matt Levy misplayed a ball in the box, giving the Lipscomb forward a free...
by Spencer Boehme | Nov 3, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
It took three consecutive ASUN Championship heartbreakers against FGCU, but the the Lipscomb women’s soccer has finally won its first-ever league tournament title. The team became the latest Lipscomb program to advance to its first NCAA tournament, beating the sixth-seeded North Alabama Lions by a score of 3-2 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Saturday. As a newcomer to the Division I level, North Alabama is not eligible for NCAA tournament. That meant that one-seeded Lipscomb had already clinched an NCAA automatic bid before Saturday night’s game. But for Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien, the contest was still a must-win. “The mentality was, who knows if we’re going to get another chance to play for a tournament championship?” O’Brien said. “So we went with the strongest group that we had, and we played to win it.” North Alabama did not go down without a fight. As the bottom seed in the tournament, the Lions took down three-seeded Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals and two-seeded NJIT in the semifinals. The Lions’ two goals against the Lady Bisons matched the total number of goals that Lipscomb has allowed to ASUN opponents all season. One of their goals came from junior forward Shelby Wall, who led the Lions with seven tallies coming into the game. O’Brien said that “neither [of the goals] are a major concern.” Lipscomb’s victory came primarily from two goals scored by junior forward and ASUN Player of the Year Olivia Doak. The other was notched by redshirt junior forward and ASUN All-Academic Team member Maycie McKay. Following the game, McKay was honored as the ASUN Tournament MVP. “It’s been just...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 3, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
For the first time in a long time, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team is the favorite to win the ASUN title. The Bisons are seeking their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth with an experienced roster that includes five seniors and three juniors. Several of Lipscomb’s games could go either way — namely their contests against Belmont, Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida. The Bisons will also square off with Power 5 opponents in TCU, Clemson and Louisville. After looking into the crystal ball, here are my predictions for all 29 Lipscomb regular season games: Game 1: Lipscomb 95, Sewanee 60 (1-0) Nov. 6 at Allen Arena The Bisons may show some rust in the first half, as is typical in any season opener. The Tigers have built a solid D-III program, but they simply won’t have the depth to pull an upset. Game 2: Lipscomb 80, Tennessee State 68 (2-0) Nov. 10 at Allen Arena These two teams have played tight battles over the last several seasons, including a 95-86 overtime win by Lipscomb last year. Belmont alum Brian “Penny Collins” is taking over for Dana Ford, who left to coach Missouri State. With a new TSU coaching staff and a revamped roster, the score line won’t be as close. Game 3: Lipscomb 72, Belmont 61 (3-0) Nov. 15 at Allen Arena Battle of the Boulevard games are never easy to predict. Belmont’s Dylan Windler is one of the top players in the country, but the loss of Austin Luke and Amanze Egekeze leaves the Bruins a bit thin on experience – a problem the Bisons don’t have. Game 4:...
by Cole Gray | Nov 2, 2018 | News Slider, Newscast
On this week’s episode of Lumination News, LeBron Hill talks to students about voting, Erin Franklin talks with some of the 2018 Lipscomb Hall of Fame inductees and Charissa Ricker has the details on new Global Learning summer programs–plus, live music from Lumination’s own Abbi Scott and much more! Anchors: Erin Franklin and Jade Spilka Sports reporter: Tyler Harvey Entertainment host: Anna Rogers Weather: Spencer...
