by Tanner Allen | Jan 26, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb erased a 21-point deficit Wednesday night, coming back to beat USC Upstate 84-77 in Allen Arena. Sophomore guard Garrison Mathews led the way for the Bisons as he finished with 22 points, but both he and his team struggled early, trailing 49-34 at halftime. “Coach Alexander didn’t have very many nice words for us at halftime,” Mathews said. “He just told us we better quit getting our butt kicked and get out there and play.” The Bisons were being out-rebounded 25 to 6, and it led to 12 second-chance points for the Spartans. The Bisons did a good job of attacking Upstate’s big men, causing the Spartans’ three leading scorers to all foul out of the game. “It was awesome to get their big guys into foul trouble,” Mathews said. “It really helped a lot in the second half. They weren’t able to crash the boards like they usually do.” Lipscomb’s defense stepped up in the second half as the team was able to force 19 turnovers and score 24 points off those turnovers. The Bisons were also able to avoid turning the ball over, finishing with just five turnovers and allowed Upstate to score just three points off those turnovers. “Turnovers were huge tonight,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “They have been a big problem for us all season, but tonight we had an extra 14 possessions because of our ability to force turnovers and not turn the ball over. They had a lot of empty possessions, and that allowed us to make our run.” Sophomore center Rob Marberry, senior guard Josh Williams and junior guard Nathan...
by Lindsey Nance | Jan 22, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team (11-11, 3-2 ASUN) fell short of a second half comeback as it was unable to slow the roll of the North Florida Ospreys (9-13, 4-1 ASUN). Things weren’t looking good for the Bisons right off the bat in the jam-packed arena as UNF jumped ahead 18-7 only six minutes into the first half. The Ospreys continued to dominate the half with their speed and ability to spread out the floor as they extended their lead to 14 after nine minutes of play. “I thought North Florida was the aggressor early,” Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander said. “They played inspired and with great confidence, and because of it, they got out to a good lead. We were a little rattled, and they defended us well. It took as a long time to respond.” Josh Williams kept the Bisons alive by leading the way with 16 points in the first half, but the team was plagued with foul trouble in the first half, causing Lipscomb to pull players from the bench earlier than expected. North Florida’s Dallas Moore showed why he is the defending ASUN Player of the Year as he exploded in the first half, scoring 14 points consecutively and finishing the half with 20 points. The Bisons continued to fight their way back into the game although they were just 35 percent from the field and 5-of-22 on the court. The Ospreys controlled the first half offensively and defensively by spreading out the Lipscomb offense and forcing them to take quick and off-balance shots. The Bisons struggled to get second shots, and before you...
by Lindsey Nance | Jan 22, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Things are looking up for the Lady Bisons as they grabbed their first ASUN victory against North Florida in UNF Arena Saturday afternoon. In a tight game with 16 lead-changes, junior Loren Cagle took matters into her own hands as she sliced through the lane with a couple of seconds remaining in the final quarter and nailed a game-winning layup to clinch the victory 60-58. The game was tied at 58, and the Lady Bisons were without their two leading scorers due to foul trouble. This game-winner gave Lipscomb a much-needed boost after a slow start to the season. The last time the Lady Bisons defeated an ASUN team was in 2015 against North Florida. Lipscomb started off the game strong, jumping ahead 14-11 in the first quarter. Shooting only 27% from the field, the Bisons hit some shots that had not been falling in previous games. The Lady Bisons were able to stretch out the Ospreys defense and play to their strengths, utilizing the fast-breaks they were given. Despite UNF’s height advantage, athleticism and length, the Lady Bison’s did an excellent job of sticking to their fundamentals and blocking out. The second quarter brought on a drought for Lipscomb. In addition to an almost scoreless quarter, Lipscomb was plagued by careless turnovers. This lapse in play allowed UNF to jump ahead 24-14. Coach Brown must have said something at the half that woke the women up because they came out hot in the third quarter. Alex Banks, who led with 22 points, broke the shooting-slump and fired in back-to-back threes that gave Lipscomb a spark. Banks was 4-4...
by George Wong | Jan 17, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s tennis team kicked off their much-anticipated season Friday evening at the Whitworth Tennis Center against University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Lady Bisons fought hard in an epic clash between the Blazers, but they eventually went down 4-3. Still, with only six girls competing for Lipscomb due to injuries, the team showed no hesitance on the court. Bison’s Vika Dzyuba and Denise Buberl edged out UAB’s Parbis Kianoush and Marlene Herrman with a 6-4 win. Maddie Brooks and Thabile Tshatedi also had no trouble dispatching their opponents Hana Sisirak and Reghan Lynch 6-3, despite Hannah Gamage and Jaclyn Findlay’s losing 6-4. The Lady Bisons continued with the momentum into the singles rubber with Brooks and Tshatedi winning both their matches giving Lipscomb a 3-0 lead. The rest of the singles matches did not go as smoothly with Buberl and Gamage both losing in 6-4, 6-1 and 6-3, 6-2. Lipscomb’s number one player Dzyuba was forced to retire against her opponent at 7-6, 2-6, 3-4, leaving the score at three matches a piece. It was all up to Findlay as the match fell on her shoulders who was ousted 1-6, 7-5, and 6-4 against the Blazers Natalie Voss. “We had a very good chance of winning,” sophmore Findlay said. “We got a little unlucky, but we all fought really hard. It was close, and I’ll be back ready for our next match.” The team’s loss will be the least of Head Coach Jamie Aid’s worries as they prepare for Sunday’s match against MTSU. The Lady Bisons will travel to Murfreesboro on Sunday at 12 p.m. to take on MTSU’s...
by Tanner Allen | Jan 17, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s Lady Bisons (3-15) lost their fifth game in a row 91-66 to the Stetson Hatters (14-4) Monday night in Allen Arena. The Lady Bisons have now lost 12 of their last 14 games. After trailing 48-26 at halftime, Lipscomb outscored Stetson by 10 in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to 12. However, that was the closest the team would get in the second half as Stetson would out-score Lipscomb 29-16 in the 4th quarter. “We played great in the 3rd quarter, but defensively the 4th quarter killed us,” Head Coach Greg Brown said. “I applaud our team’s effort, but our execution has to be a whole lot better defensively.” For Lipscomb, junior guard Loren Cagle was the lone highlight as she flirted with a triple-double. She finished with nine points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. “Loren really filled up the stat sheet for our team, and she provided a much needed spark for our team,” Brown noted. This isn’t the first time the Lady Bisons have lost by a lot. They are ranked 343 out of 345 teams with a -22.9 scoring margin. Stetson was led by guard Brianti Saunders, as she led all players with 24 points. This wasn’t Saunders first successful game against Lipscomb. In her eight career games against Lipscomb, she averaged 23.7 points per game, including three 30-point games. Stetson’s forward, Sarah Sagerer, had a huge impact on the game by blocking shot after shot. She came into the game as the 7th best shot blocker in the nation, and her four blocks against the Lady Bisons moved her up to 5th in the...
by KJ Lauck | Jan 15, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
It was a battle of conference unbeatens, and it lived up to the hype, as the Lipscomb men’s basketball team (10-10, 2-1) took on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (14-5, 3-0). The Bisons fought back from two double-digit deficits in both halves but ultimately fell 84-80. Early on the Eagles dominated with their length and athleticism, getting deflections and forcing turnovers. They led the game 21-14. Christian Terrell and Demetris Morant led FGCU as they had 17 of the first 27 points. Both finished with double-figures, 15 and 14 points, respectively. For Lipscomb, sophomore Garrison Mathews led the way for the Bisons, with 10 points in the first half. However, the Bisons found themselves down 34-23 with less than six minutes remaining in the first half. The Bisons then found their stride and sprinted out to end the half on a 16-6 run to tie the game at 40 going into halftime. The run was fueled by Mathews, along with senior Josh Williams and a huge and-one opportunity converted by freshman Michael Buckland. “I was very pleased with their effort,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “I thought we played hard enough to win, and the desire was there.” Lipscomb took its first lead with a Williams three-pointer early in the second half, 43-42. The Eagles and Bisons traded baskets and the lead for the next few minutes. FGCU eventually used a 7-0 midway through the second half and took a nine-point lead thanks to Zach Johnson, who finished with 23 points. FGCU broke the game open after going back-and-forth with Lipscomb after its big run. The lead got...
