by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 17, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Despite numerous chances on goal, the Lipscomb men’s soccer team couldn’t get its offense going on Thursday evening – spelling the demise of its 2017 season. The Butler Bulldogs used a pair of Brandon Guhl goals to top the Bisons, 2-0, in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Sellick Bowl. Lipscomb (11-8-2) finished with a total of 16 shots, and seniors Ivan Alvarado, Ivan Sakou and Kyle Smith each had three attempts apiece. The Bulldogs (13-4-2) found the net just 7:29 into the game when Guhl snuck a shot past Lipscomb goalkeeper Christopher Zappia, who had come off his line to attempt a save. That scoreline held the rest of the half. In the 77th minute, Guhl added an insurance goal off a long pass from teammate Kieran Geldenhuys. It was Guhl’s team-leading 12th tally of the season. Lipscomb was making its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance after topping Jacksonville, 2-1, for the ASUN title last Saturday. It was the Bisons’ first ASUN title since joining the conference and NCAA Division I in 2003. The Bisons graduate 10 seniors including: Alvarado, Sakou, Smith, Eduardo Reza, Cameron Botes, Joe Kerridge, Scout Monteith, Jonathan Ramirez, Anthony Bellini and Brandon Braumuller. Butler advanced to the second round of the tournament and will take on VCU on Sunday in Richmond, Virginia. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Cavin Jacobson | Nov 17, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lady Bisons volleyball (15-12; ASUN 8-6) won the first game of the ASUN championship against The University of North Florida (13-19; 5-9). This marks the 13th consecutive year that Lipscomb has made it to the ASUN semifinals. The Lady Bisons had a strong opening and never lost their stride, leading each of the sets by more than three points the entire game. Carlyle Nusbaum, reigning ASUN Player of the Year, delivered 17 out of the 42 kills. “Offense is something this team knows how to do,” head coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “The team worked like a well-oiled machine with every player executing their positions wonderfully.” The Lady Bisons total amount of digs was 49, 15 digs higher than North Florida’s 34, and senior Brittany Thomas delivered 11 digs. Lipscomb’s Lady Bisons had a whopping 42 kills as opposed to the University of North Florida Osprey’s 23. The Lady Bison’s hitting percentage for the three sets were .302, .280 and .250, respectively. “Our energy was great,” Rosenthal said. “I don’t know if there’s necessarily improvements; I think it’s just continuing to execute the gameplan.” Lipscomb’s next match of the semifinals will be against Kennesaw State on Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Hannah Pipher | Nov 12, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
After a riveting week of coming off the ASUN Semifinal win against Florida Gulf Coast University, Lipscomb Men’s Soccer made the journey to Jacksonville, Fla. this weekend for a chance to beat No. 5 seed, Jacksonville to clinch the ASUN Championship. 90 minutes of rain, win and battle occurred on the field tonight, all for the Bisons to pull out the Championship victory 2-1 for the first time in program history. The first twenty-nine minutes were anything but quiet as both teams took shot after shot on each other’s keepers. However, it was not until 30 minutes in that Lipscomb senior Kyle Smith scored the first goal of the match when he took the shot off the rebound from Jacksonville’s goalkeeper. At halftime, the Bisons were still leading the game 1-0 with two more close attempts for that second goal. Lipscomb was not the only team playing, as Jacksonville picked up its pace tying the game 1-1 with just 28 minutes remaining. Six minutes later, the Dolphins gave the Bisons the opportunity to reclaim their lead after a penalty. Senior Eduardo Reza stepped up to the penalty line and keeping himself collected, stole the lead back for the Bisons 2-1 as the ball kept its position on the ground along the left post. The clock continued to wind down and Jacksonville never gave up, but when the buzzer sounded through the stadium, signaling the end of the hard-fought match, the Bisons were named the 2017 ASUN Men’s Soccer Champions. In a postgame interview with ESPN3, head coach Charles Morrow mentioned that over the past six to eight seasons there have been a lot of...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 11, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team struggled in the early going of Friday’s season opener, but a strong second-half effort was enough for a 98-83 victory over Emory at Allen Arena. “It wasn’t pretty because (Emory) is good,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “Naturally, we can play a lot better – but they had a lot to do with why we didn’t play well.” Lipscomb guard Garrison Mathews led all scorers with 37 points – just two shy of his career high of 39. “He’s a load, especially when he puts his head down to get to the rim,” Alexander said. “He wants the ball, and our guys have confidence in him.” At halftime, the game was knotted at 43 after the Eagles gave the Bisons all they could handle in the first 20 minutes of play. “I didn’t think we were missing effort or desire, but I did think we were a little bit off,” Alexander said. “We needed to increase our intensity level just a notch.” That’s exactly what they did. Lipscomb’s offense exploded in the second half, and – led by Mathews – the Bisons outscored Emory 55-40 after the break. Mathews was quick to deflect the praise to his teammates and noted that Emory is a “well-coached” team. “I give props to my teammates – they gave me the ball,” Mathews said of his performance. “It was the first game of the year and everybody struggles in the first game a little bit. That was a tough team, so I’m just happy to get the win.” Sophomore Michael Buckland filled in for injured point guards Kenny Cooper and...
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...
