by Danny Kotula | Dec 6, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team lost to the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 84-59 Sunday afternoon at Allen Arena in Nashville. The loss is Lipscomb’s first since February 2020 and breaks a 12-game winning streak at home for the Bisons. A dominant third quarter was the difference-maker for the hot-shooting perennial power, as MTSU earned their second win of the weekend after a double-digit margin of victory versus Mercer Friday night. The Bisons stuck with now 7-1 MTSU in the first half, making multiple late-quarter runs to keep things close after periods 1 and 2. The halftime lead for the Blue Raiders was just 32-27 in a game that the Bisons never led, but kept within a possession multiple times in the first half of play. In the second half, a energy-sapping full-court press from MTSU’s stingy defense took its toll on the Bisons, who would end up committing 26 turnovers in a game where countless passes were intercepted, especially in the backcourt. On the other end of the floor, Lipscomb had no answer for MTSU’s behind-the-arc shooting clinic, as the Blue Raiders rattled in 16 three-pointers. In the second half especially, MTSU’s strong shooting pushed them past a resilient Bisons side, giving them a 10-0 run to start the third quarter. The away side, which brought a sizable contingent of away fans from 45 minutes south in Murfreesboro, got hot again at the end of the period with an 11-0 run to end the 3rd, outscoring Lipscomb 29-12 in that game-securing frame. Leading the way for Lipscomb was a coalition of scorers; four players ended in double figures...
by Danny Kotula | Dec 3, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost 94-65 in a drubbing by archrivals Belmont Thursday night at the Curb Event Center in Nashville. In perhaps the team’s worst display all season, the Bisons were run off the court by the Bruins and beaten on both sides of the court in front of 3,800 fans. The Bisons sorely missed the presence of 4th-year center Ahsan Asadullah; the Atlanta-born post player suffered an injury in November at Tennessee Tech and did not appear for the second straight game. Third-year head coach Lennie Acuff played true freshman forward Grant Osman, hailing from Kimberly, Wisconsin, in his first game of the season. In so doing, Acuff voided Osman’s eligibility for a redshirt season, leading to rumors that Asadullah could be out of action on a longer-term basis than was initially expected. Currently, there is no official timetable for Asadullah’s return. Offensively, two bright spots were Valparaiso transfer Jacob Ognacevic and graduate forward Parker Hazen. Ognacevic, a Sheboygan, Wisconsin-born power forward, put in 32 minutes and scored 20 points on 6-11 shooting, also leading the team in rebounds with 8. Hazen added 15 points and 4 rebounds, going 3 of 4 from the free throw line. In an abysmal defensive showing, the Bisons allowed 41 three-point attempts by Belmont, who converted on 17 of them for 51 points from behind the arc. All told, Belmont shot the ball 25 more times than Lipscomb, and they scored at an effective 49% rate. Leading the way for the home team was JaCobi Wood, who scored 17 on the night. Ben Sheppard, Nick Muszynksi, and Luke Smith each...
by Danny Kotula | Dec 3, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team lost a heartbreaking 67-62 decision to the Belmont Bruins in the Battle of the Boulevard Thursday evening at Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee. With the loss, Lipscomb drops to 2-4, with all four of their losses coming away from home. This occasion was a much closer battle than the Bisons’ previous three losses, coming after Lipscomb led 30-23 at halftime. “We’ve had some games where I think we’ve done a little bit of overthinking and a little bit of doubting,” third-year head coach Lauren Sumski said. “We worked really hard to execute our game plan and this is the first time I’ve looked and and thought this was our team,” Sumski said. The Bisons played with a level of intensity and efficiency that hadn’t been seen much before today’s high-pressure environment at Belmont. The Bruins came in as one of the most highly-touted mid-major programs in the country coming off the back of a NCAA Tournament 2nd Round appearance last year. Despite their prowess and home court advantage, though, the Bruins were second best in the first half. Despite 16 points from sophomore guard Tuti Jones, Belmont struggled to make shots, and a balanced Lipscomb attack gave them issues. Down the stretch, though, it was foul trouble that would hamper the Bisons’ chances at the away win. Lipscomb took a 49-48 lead into the fourth quarter, but with four players at four fouls apiece, including three forwards, the Bisons were ill-equipped to deal with Belmont down low. The Bruins went on a 6-0 run midway through the final frame to take a 58-54...
by Danny Kotula | Dec 2, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
CHATTANOOGA – The Lipscomb Academy varsity football team won the BlueCross Bowl Division II-AA Tennessee State Championship over the Christ Presbyterian Academy Lions 27-0 Thursday morning at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga. Senior quarterback Luther Richesson led the Mustangs to their first Division II-AA state title, going 16-for-18 in the air for 147 yards, a touchdown and an interception. A matchup rich with storylines brought together two teams with revenge on their minds: after CPA took down Lipscomb in last year’s state championship game, Lipscomb punished the Lions at home in a 38-0 drubbing to win the regular season title. This time around, it was a similar story in a completely new circumstance for the Mustangs in a high-pressure game at the home of the Chattanooga Mocs. “To see what they’ve done, the sacrifices they’ve made, to change a community and to see them get rewarded for it–because you don’t always get rewarded for it–I think they learned a valuable lesson,” head coach and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer said. “If you do the right things, good things are eventually going to happen.” Partially due to the pressure, the two teams combined for 14 penalties, nine of which went against Lipscomb and three of which were false starts. “It took patience,” Dilfer said. “The penalties were killing us. We kept getting first-down penalties and we’re in second down and 20, second down and 24. I could have run it to punt, but I also wanted to be aggressive.” Tough defense was a recurring theme throughout the game, as Lipscomb’s experienced front seven continued to cause problems for the Lions....
by Gunnar Eng | Dec 1, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
Whether it’s in soccer or frisbee or spikeball competition, students at Lipscomb have plenty of opportunities to compete even if they are not involved with intercollegiate athletics. “Intramurals gives the average student the ability to participate in sports in an organized setting,” Kegan York, director of campus recreation and wellness. “Students can play for prizes such as T-shirts and trophies, while also bringing them together over common things they love, such as soccer, football, and basketball.” The sports for intramurals are ultimately chosen by the students, and have included non-traditional ones like ultimate Frisbee and spikeball. The tournaments and leagues are decided upon by feedback the leadership team gets from surveys they send out to students. “We try to time our surveys that we send out to students for the end of an intramural season or just at the end of the semester,” York said. “We like to cater our intramural schedule based on student participation and the positive feedback we receive for certain sports.” Along with intramurals being a way for students to get involved in competitive sports on campus, they also provide an outlet for stress during the school year. “I think it’s a great and healthy way for students to get out a lot of the stresses they have from their classes,” Jenah Park, graduate assistant for intramurals, said. “Also a lot of people who participate in intramurals played sports in high school, and the sudden transition to not playing anymore can be harsh. So this is a nice way to ease that move.” “I’m very thankful that the school provides this opportunity, and my favorite...
by Micah Kennedy | Dec 1, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
A 44% field goal percentage has propelled the Lipscomb men’s basketball team to a 5-2 start. This clip sits as number one amongst NCAA Division-I programs. The team’s best shooters right now are junior guard Greg Jones (42%), freshman guard Tommy Murr (54%), and freshman forward Jacob Ognacevic (60%). Most recently, the team beat Kentucky Christian decisively by a score of 86-67 and converted from behind the arc 13 times. “When we make threes it gives Ahsan (Asadullah) protection,” head coach Lennie Acuff said, “It means they can’t double him. Our ability to make threes is based off our ball movement and taking good shots.” So far in this season it is apparent that the team is doing just that, as better ball movement is leading to improvements from three. Last season the team shot 35% from three and averaged 7 made threes a game. Now the team is shooting well over 40% and makes 9 threes a game. “We don’t shoot a ton of threes, but I think the threes we’ve been taking are good ones.” Acuff said. “I think our shot selection and role definition lead to that. It’s something we worked on a lot in the offseason realizing it was Achilles’ heel for us last year. I’m proud of our guys that their work is paying off.” It has been an approach of quality over quantity from behind the arc for the Bisons, and it has led to the team’s best start through seven games in the Acuff era of Lipscomb basketball. The next matchup for the team is local rival Belmont University, and only time...
