by Anne Paquin | Nov 13, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Every year, the night before the rivalry basketball game between Lipscomb and Belmont, students rally together to show school spirit. Students give speeches, and a deejay helps get all of the students excited about the game the following night. At the end of the festivities, the students all get behind a truck and run one mile around the surrounding neighborhood, showing the pride and excitement of Lipscomb students. Ariel Jones has the story. Lipscomb and Belmont have always had a strong rivalry, and 131 battles later, the rivalry is still going strong. This year’s game was hard for Lipscomb students to watch as, within minutes, the Bisons were trailing behind the Bruins. Though the players might have gotten discouraged, the fans in the stands were more than uplifting. Bison fans cheered for points and booed for bad calls made by the referees. The Bisons fell to the Bruins 89-60. Sydney Poe has more on the story, as well as highlights of the game....
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 12, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The men’s basketball team secured their first win of the season after last Friday’s Belmont loss in a 73-55 victory over the Maryville Saints, making their overall record 1-1. The Bisons gained early momentum, going on an 8-2 run with 17:03 remaining. The Saints kept things close for a good deal of the half, but the Bisons went into the locker room with a 43-24 lead. Freshman J.C. Hampton sank three 3-point baskets in first half, adding into his 13 point total. From 15:35-7:19 in the second half, the Bisons went on a 14-0 run, ended by a jump shot from Maryville’s Adam Whitlock. Hampton said he felt that the team’s early efforts and rebounding helped tremendously. “We came out to a great start,” Hampton said. “Coach [Sanderson] really challenged us on the board to see if we could out-rebound by +15. I think we did a great job, especially Khion [Sankey], of accepting that challenge. I felt good coming out with a great start.” Sankey, a junior, led the Bisons in rebounds with 12, while senior Deonte Alexander led in scoring with 16. On top of leading the team in assists with 4, sophomore Martin Smith scored 13 points. After tonight’s win, the team will travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., to play Gardner-Webb on Wednesday. After their Nov. 23 away game against Ole Miss, the Bisons will return to Allen Arena on Nov. 26 to take on Murray...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 9, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball team fell short of claiming the 131st Battle of the Boulevard in an 89-60 loss to the Belmont Bruins. Senior Deonte Alexander led the Bisons in scoring with 14 points (including four 3-pointers). Junior Khion Sankey led the team in rebounds and assists with 7 and 4 respectively, while gaining 11 points of his own. Alexander said that he feels the team is going to need to fix tonight’s mistakes going into the rest of the season. “We’ve got to get back to the drawing board tomorrow. They beat us on a lot of the things we’ve been practicing on,” Alexander said. “We turned the ball over a lot tonight, and we’ve just got to take care of the ball and play solid defense.” Alexander thanked the fans for their attendance of tonight’s game and asked for their continued support throughout the season. Redshirt sophomore Carter Sanderson, who had 13 points on the night, also noted his appreciation to the fans, expressing the importance of the crowd’s energy. “I really appreciate all the support. It was a great crowd,” Sanderson said. “I thought they were energized and loud, and we fed off them a lot.” The Bisons will play the final “Boulevard” game of the season against the Bruins on Dec. 4 at Belmont. Photos and a full-game recap can be viewed below. Photo Credit: Whitney Jarreld Please upgrade your...
by Logan Butts | Nov 9, 2012 | Opinion, Sports
The 2012 NFL season has already provided for more truly memorable moments than entire seasons have in the past. Due in large part to the presence of the mostly incompetent ‘replacements refs’ through the league’s brief referee lockout, the first half of the season has been equal parts enthralling and chaotic. There have been overtimes, converted onside kicks, last-second ‘Hail Mary’s, controversial calls and even a sequel to the ‘Music City Miracle’ – all of that coming from the Titans 44-41 victory over the Lions during week three. A brawl almost broke out in the Rams-Redskins game. The Panthers have been running the option with Cam Newton. If Bill Belichick had ripped off his sleeveless hoodie to reveal a Patriots uniform underneath and caught a game-winning touchdown pass from Ton Brady, I would not have been the least-bit surprised. Not only were the games extremely entertaining, but the storylines were as intriguing as ever. Peyton Manning has reclaimed his spot on the league’s Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks, while rookie Robert Griffin III is making a case for his inclusion. The two pre-season Super Bowl favorites, the Packers and the Patriots, did not have a winning record through week six. The presumably lowly Cardinals were undefeated going into their fifth game. The ‘Bountygate’ punishments handed out to the winless Saints have proven to be worse than the experts previously thought. On top of all that, SportsCenter has barely mentioned New York Jets QB Tim Tebow for the last few weeks, which has to be some sort of record. To celebrate the madness that has occurred throughout the first half of the...
by Ariel Jones | Nov 8, 2012 | Sports
Coaches, players, cheerleaders, fans – it’s time for Battle of the Boulevard. Nov. 9 marks the 131st rivalry game between the Lipscomb Bisons and Belmont Bruins men’s basketball teams. The game takes place Friday night in Allen Arena at 6:30 p.m. There’s a lot of history between the two schools, dating back to Dec. 11, 1953 – the first time the schools faced off. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that an actual rivalry was born with coaches Don Meyer (Lipscomb) and Rick Byrd (Belmont). Lipscomb currently leads Belmont 73-57 in the series. Louis Nelms, the director of student involvement, has been to eight “battles” so far. “My favorite part of the Battle of the Boulevard would be the environment,” Nelms said. “As a small school, our athletic teams often don’t get the kind of support or attention that other schools that are maybe in bigger conferences do. The Battle of the Boulevard is one of the few experiences where Lipscomb gets to feel a little bit different than usual.” Nelms said that while this specific game may not be as big of an event as other collegiate sporting rivalries, the Battle of the Boulevard still deserves national attention. “We are playing a team that is consistently getting national attention, and it is fun to have a real rival,” Nelms said. “It’s not Duke vs. UNC or Alabama vs. Auburn, but it is one of the best sporting events in the country because it is one of those games where the records are thrown out and anyone can win.” How deep is the rivalry now compared to years before? Since being in two different conferences,...
by Emily Snell | Nov 6, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Beginning with Friday night’s “Battle of the Boulevard” men’s basketball contest, Lipscomb, the Atlantic Sun Conference and ESPN are working together to bring six events live from Allen Arena in November on ESPN3, ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE. “In the world of athletics, there is no bigger brand than that of ESPN,” said Lipscomb Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson. “The ability to collaborate with ESPN3 and the Atlantic Sun Conference allows us to exponentially increase our reach to fans of college athletics worldwide, and we are thrilled to be on the leading edge of this latest wave of on-campus production. “For Lipscomb alumni, fans, recruits and for fans of college athletics as a whole, this agreement represents another step toward deeper connections with the programs that mean the most to them. I am appreciative of the hours of work that ESPN3, the Atlantic Sun and the communications professionals on our campus have committed to make this happen.” The six-game slate kicks off Friday night at 6:30 p.m., as one of the nation’s premier men’s basketball rivalries renews between Lipscomb and Belmont. The Lady Bisons then get the spotlight on Monday, Nov. 12, as No. 17 Vanderbilt comes to Allen Arena for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff. The collaboration continues on Nov. 16-17, as the semifinal and final rounds of the A-Sun Volleyball Championship are aired as the Lady Bisons attempt to defend back-to-back-to-back A-Sun Tournament titles. The final game of the set airs on Monday, Nov. 26, as men’s basketball hosts defending...
