by Grant Ledgister | Feb 2, 2020 | News Slider, Sports
Poor shooting in the second half doomed the Lady Bisons in the first game of Saturday’s basketball doubleheader against the Stetson Hatters, as Lipscomb fell 48-34. The game got off to an interesting start with a jump ball on the tip-off that caused a re-tip. From there until the end of the half, things were slow going for both teams. Stetson’s junior forward Day’neshia Banks scored first to give the Hatters a two-point lead within the first minute but scoring dried up from there. It would be nearly three minutes before either team would score another basket. Stetson scored all of the early baskets, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Lipscomb’s senior guard Carleigh Short responded with a three-pointer to open the scoring for the Lady Bisons and started a 9-1 run that gave them a 9-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Neither team scored a basket for the first five minutes of the second quarter. The drought ended when freshman guard Kimia Carter scored a two-pointer for the Hatters to tie the game at nine. A heartwarming moment happened for Lipscomb near the end of the quarter. Sophomore forward Kailey Rosenbaum checked in to a game for the first time all season. Neither team shot very well in the half. The Lady Bisons went 7-27 from the field, and the Hatters went a slightly better 8-23. Lipscomb had a 19-17 lead with three seconds to go in a quarter where neither team led by more than four points. Stetson got the ball up the court and junior guard Tonysha Curry scored a layup as time expired...
by Abigail Davis | Feb 1, 2020 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
Lipscomb alumna Brianne Welch is using the skills and passions she gained from her education at Lipscomb University, in her career today. Welch says she knew from a young age that journalism was her passion. “We had one of those little elementary school news teams that elementary schools have. I did that and I loved it, and I told my mom, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” Welch says. Her softball career at Lipscomb, as well as her love for college football, inspired her to choose sports journalism as a career. Aside from the knowledge, skillset and passion that her Lipscomb experience equipped her with, she also learned how to prioritize her time as a college athlete. This skill can be very important for anyone person wanting to enter the journalism world. She has had multiple opportunities in the journalism field, her first position being an anchor for KTAB/KRBC-TV in Abilene, Texas. She currently is the sports director at WCBD News 2 in Charleston. She has worked on a Sunday night sports only show and has had opportunities to cover the Fiesta Bowl for the playoffs as well as the Cotton Bowl. She is hopeful to be covering the national championships in the future. Ultimately she speaks of her experience in the Lipscomb communication department as, “I really loved being able to tell people’s stories whenever I get the chance.” Welch gets real as she shares her imparting wisdom upon future journalists: “You really have to have a really good work ethic…The hours are not good, you’re not really going to have a social life… you need to actually...
by Lumination Staff | Jan 30, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Siran Stacy, former NFL running back turned evangelist, delivered a Gathering message on Tuesday that left several students upset. Stacy was hired by Lipscomb Academy athletics in November to be the spiritual formation coach. Stacy said that he felt God had sent him to address students who were “struggling.” “If you’re struggling right now, I don’t care where you are, if you’re struggling at living another day, stand to your feet, stand up right now, unashamed,” he said. “You’re in this place; you’re wayward. You know you’re not living the way God called you to live.” In a prayer, he said, “There is forgiveness, there is grace for the homosexual. There is forgiveness through the blood of Jesus; there is nothing you can’t change.” Konnor Davis, a sophomore musical theatre major from Selmer, picked up on Stacy’s comment that “there is grace for everyone.” “Thank you, but I don’t need it because I’m gay,” Davis said. “And hearing things like that, it really re-introduces a lot of the trauma I went through and that I’m still relentlessly trying to work through because I was trying to change myself and people were trying to change me.” Many students on both sides of the issue declined to comment to Lumination, some mentioning that they did not want to have a target on their back. Some students followed the chapel talk by painting a rainbow on the bison in Bison Square. Overnight, it was painted over with a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant on one side and “I Cor. 6:9” on the other. That one was then painted over with another...
by Grant Ledgister | Jan 28, 2020 | News Slider, Sports
Mistakes and overwhelming defensive pressure saw Lipscomb drop its second conference game in a row to the Jacksonville University Dolphins 73-64. Lipscomb was competitive early, tying the game at seven with six minutes to go in the quarter. Two minutes later, with Lipscomb only down one, a 9-0 run began for Jacksonville, putting the team up 20-10. The run, fueled by missed shots and good rebounding play off those missed shots, came to an end with a pair of free throws stemming from a technical foul called on Jacksonville’s freshman guard Da’nasia Shaw. Lipscomb went on a 6-0 scoring run early in the second quarter before having it wiped out by an identical run from the Dolphins who went on to extend their lead to 30-17. Junior forward Taylor Clark and sophomore guard Jane Deason helped close the gap slightly to 36-25 at the end of the half. Jacksonville’s defense was stifling in the first half. The Dolphins played a full-court trap defense that looked to be beatable initially by the Lady Bisons offense. The team would throw a series of quick passes to find the open player for a score. This was not the case as the game went on. The pressure proved difficult to overcome and forced Lipscomb into bad shots and other costly mistakes. One such mistake was turnovers. Lipscomb committed 14 of them in the half, which led to 12 points for the Dolphins. Also costly for the Lady Bisons was fouling. The Dolphins shot 10 free throws in the first half, making nine of them. Despite the deficit, Lipscomb did have some bright spots...
by Erika Plunkett | Jan 28, 2020 | News Slider, Sports
Disbelief and shock gripped the country Sunday afternoon when a helicopter, carrying Kobe Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, known affectionately as Gigi, crashed on the way to an AAU basketball practice, killing all nine people on board, according to ABC News. Kobe Bryant was already in the news on Sunday morning as Lebron James had passed him on the all-time scoring list Saturday, but the records and the points became irrelevant when the news broke. As tributes to his legacy, not only as a player but as a father, husband, mentor, and man of integrity poured in, everyone was reminded of what an incredible light was lost. Players across the NBA each found their ways to pay homage to the future hall of fame member. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks’ All-Star point guard, wore a No. 8 jersey — one of the two numbers Bryant wore for the Lakers — instead of his customary No. 11. He also held the ball and purposely got an 8-second violation, one of the common quiet salutes around National Basketball Association during Sunday’s game. For example, the Washington Wizards were one of many teams holding the ball for the full 24-second shot clock, an intentional rules violation to honor Bryant’s other jersey number. The self-dubbed “Black Mamba” inspired a generation of rising stars, including players and coaches for Lipscomb’s basketball teams. Senior guard Michael Buckland chimed in on Twitter, “I’m shook. Love always. You never know when you won’t be able to love someone again. RIP Mamba” I’m shook. Love always. You never know when you won’t be able to love...
by Bailey Burnett | Jan 27, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
A Lipscomb student from Australia said he feels helpless as wildfires that began in July continue to ravage his homeland. “The fires affected me emotionally more than physically, obviously due to being halfway around the world,” said Scott McKenzie, from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The corporate management major with a marketing concentration said he wishes he was home, where he could perhaps do something about the catastrophe. “I felt helpless being in the US and did not know what to do besides try to raise awareness as much as possible. If I were home, I would have been out there doing everything I can to help those risking their lives for the beautiful country of Australia.” CNN News has reported at least 28 people have died nationwide, and in the state of New South Wales alone, more than 3,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. State and federal authorities are struggling to contain the massive flames, even with firefighting assistance from other countries, including the United States. A Lipscomb environmental sustainability student said there is a need to focus on the human impact on the environment. “People choose to look anywhere but our own impact on the environment,” said Cecelie Eiler, from Freeport, Illinois. “This wildfire is the biggest thing we can hold on to and show people that this is a problem,” said Eiler, who is vice president of Share Our Supper. “We can splash data and numbers in people’s faces all day long but unless you’re a data-driven person you’re not going to connect with that. To make a change people need to visualize the impacts they are...
