by Lumination Staff | Apr 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The charges against Lipscomb employee Alex Ross stemming from a March 10 incident at a Nashville bar have been dropped. Ross, Lipscomb’s assistant director of athletics operations, was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest in the early morning hours of March 10 at the Tin Roof Bar on Demonbreun Street, according a Metro Nashville Police affidavit obtained by Lumination. Both charges were dropped by judge Michael Mondelli at the Davidson County Criminal Court Friday. Lipscomb Vice President of Public Relations Kim Chaudoin did not have an update on Ross’ employment status as of Friday afternoon. He is still listed as an employee on the school’s website. Following the initial arrest, Chaudoin issued a statement saying that Ross had been placed on leave while the university conducted an internal investigation. “Alex Ross is Assistant Director of Operations in the athletics department, which means his primary job duties are to provide lawn maintenance for the grounds and fields, facilities maintenance and setting up equipment for games. “He has been placed on leave pending an investigation. It is our policy for appropriate university officials to conduct an internal investigation and follow through as is consistent with internal policies. As this is an active case, we cannot comment on details of the incident,” Chaudoin said. According to the police affidavit, Ross was kicked out of the bar but refused to leave after security attempted to escort him out. Metro Nashville police officers also asked Ross to leave the premises, but he continued to refuse. When officers went to arrest Ross, he refused to give them his hands, and the officers had to forcefully take...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s basketball walk-on Zach Flener will not return next season. The guard is set to graduate this summer after packing his strategic communication degree into just two years at Lipscomb. He doesn’t plan to use his final two years of eligibility at another university. “I’ve got a few classes left to take this summer, probably about 12 hours,” Flener said. “It’ll be a full summer.” Flener appeared in 14 games and scored 11 points this season. His season and career high came when he scored nine points in a 119-48 beatdown of Covenant last December. He arrived at Lipscomb in 2017 after taking about 30 college credit hours while attending Murray High School in Kentucky. He averaged 13.3 points per game as a senior with the Tigers. “I came in with a bunch of hours from [Murray State],” Flener said. “And I had a bunch of AP hours. Since then, I’ve been taking like 18 credits a semester and then 12 in the summers. “I’m taking 19 hours this semester. It’s rough.” The 5-foot-10, 169-pounder was a fan and team favorite, often keeping the mood light at practices and during pregame warmups. “I just love being around [the team],” he said. “I’ve met some of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve kind of figured out that my role is to keep everyone loose and have as much fun as I can.” Flener’s departure frees up roster space for Lipscomb’s incoming recruiting class, which includes a handful of high school players and former Valparaiso forward Parker Hazen. Flener hopes to eventually work in an NBA front...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb senior Garrison Mathews has accepted an invite to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a four-day showcase in front of NBA scouts. Coach Casey Alexander confirmed the news at the team’s welcome home ceremony outside Allen Arena Friday afternoon. “It’s well-deserved,” Alexander said. “That’s the opportunity that will lead to his professional career and what kind of looks that he gets.” Mathews finished the season averaging 20.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He earned ASUN Player of the Year Honors and broke the school’s Division I scoring record with 2,480 career points. The Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational was established in 1953 to allow the nation’s 64 best college seniors a chance to showcase their skills in a 12-game tournament. All 30 NBA teams will have representatives at the tournament, which is slated for April 17-20 at the Churchland High School Sports Complex. Mathews is not currently listed in any NBA mock drafts. But he averaged 26 points per game in the NIT and likely turned heads with his 44-point outing at NC State and his 34-point performance against Wichita State in Madison Square Garden. “You go back-to-back games against NC State and Wichita State with 78 [combined] points…I think he probably got some people’s attention,” Alexander said. Only two Lipscomb players have ever been selected in the NBA Draft, and both came when the draft had more rounds. The 2019 draft consists of just two rounds and 60 overall picks. No former Bisons have ever appeared in an NBA game, so Mathews has a chance to become the first. Ron Rippitoe became the school’s first player selected in the draft...
by Russell Vannozzi | Apr 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
March 10 was a heartbreaking day for the Lipscomb men’s basketball team. After being projected by every major bracketologist to be in the NCAA tournament, the Bisons saw their dreams fade in a 74-68 loss to Liberty in the ASUN championship game. Even worse, the defeat came in front of a record Allen Arena crowd of 5,687. But the Bisons refused to fold despite the disappointment. Instead, they delivered a thrilling NIT run that ended with an 81-66 championship loss to Texas in New York Thursday night. “We’re disappointed we didn’t play better, but the only thing to be sad about is this team doesn’t have any more days together,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “But we have to finish it up, because we maxed out pretty well.” The Bisons played five NIT games and won four of them. Garrison Mathews, undoubtedly the team’s star, put on several unforgettable performances and averaged 26 points per NIT contest. The final two games came in Madison Square Garden on primetime television. It’s hard to ask for much more, other than, say, an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. “They’re as good as any team we’ve played this year,” UNCG coach Wes Miller said following his team’s 86-69 loss to Lipscomb March 23. “Wofford is a great basketball team, and Lipscomb is on that level – they should be in the NCAA tournament. And I think they’d be winning games in the NCAA tournament.” But not everyone is a believer. Senior forward Rob Marberry and his purple-clad teammates were mistaken for TCU players at a New York Starbucks earlier this week. Later, in a...
by Lumination Staff | Apr 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
NEW YORK – The postseason magic finally ran out for the Lipscomb men’s basketball team in Thursday’s NIT championship game. Texas used 13 three-pointers and its pesky defense to take the NIT title with an 81-66 victory over Lipscomb in Madison Square Garden. Senior forward Rob Marberry led the Bisons with 17 points, while senior guard Garrison Mathews had 15. “We had an expectation to win the game,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “We thought we could win the game. We’re disappointed we didn’t win the game.” The Longhorns (21-16) made things difficult for Lipscomb’s offense, and Texas guard Courtney Ramey kept Mathews off balance for most of the night. Mathews did not make a field goal until he swished a three with 8:10 remaining in the game. “[The Bisons] did a great job battling back and fighting in the second half,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “But I thought Courtney Ramey was probably the biggest difference in this game, even though he didn’t score a lot. But he did a phenomenal job on Garrison Mathews, who is one of the best scorers in the country.” The Bisons (29-8) scored 14 of their first 20 points in the paint thanks to Marberry and redshirt freshman Ahsan Asadullah, who finished with 11 points. The Bisons led 22-19 with 6:42 to go in the first half. But the Longhorns used their size and athleticism to clog the lane and force contested shots. The Bisons had only five three-pointers all game. “They did a great job of just running screens and being there on the catch and taking shots away,” Alexander said....
by Erin Franklin | Apr 4, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Garrison Mathews, Eli Pepper and Coach Casey Alexander met after practice to talk about their thoughts for tonight’s NIT Championship game against Texas in Madison Square Garden. Senors Mathews and Pepper also discussed the significance of tonight’s game for the five seniors on the team. Read Russell Vannozzi’s full story about Tuesday night’s game here....
