by Martin Baker | Mar 15, 2019 | News Slider, Sports, Student Spotlight
Whether she’s pitching from the softball mound or spiking the ball on the volleyball court, Lipscomb’s Chloe Rogers feels right at home as part of a team. “Just relax, play the game, you’ve played it your whole life, just have fun with it,” Rogers told herself as she joined the Lipscomb softball team last spring after finishing her senior season playing for the Lipscomb volleyball team. Rogers came to Lipscomb from Overland Park, Kansas, where she played volleyball and softball for Blue Valley High School as well as travel club teams. Her love for each sport started early thanks to both her parents, Jennifer and Richard Rogers, who also played college sports. Her mother played volleyball, and her father played baseball. When college came around, however, Chloe had to choose one or the other. “I was super undecided going into the college recruiting process. I loved both the same,” Rogers said. “So recruiting came around, and I was getting more interest for volleyball; and I think that kind of helped with the recruiting process because it seemed more appealing when people were after you.” Volleyball won in the end, and she became a Bison under head coach Brandon Rosenthal. At the time, she thought that would be the last time she would play competitive softball, and she knew she would miss it. “I made the right decision,” Rogers said. “I love volleyball, and if I had to do it again, I’d do it the exact same way; but it is kind of like leaving a little part of you behind.” Chloe would get her chance to play again after...
by Adrienne Luu | Mar 12, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s men’s tennis team held its first outdoor home match at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center against Presbyterian College Monday and emerged with 4-2 victory over Presbyterian. The Bisons (5-7) started the match down one point after losing the doubles play. On the third line, Lipscomb’s Jake Penny and Michael Tougher kept their lead against Presbyterian’s Jamie Castillo-Lopez and Vance Mercer and won the set 6-2. “Line three is playing pretty well and they’re getting along,” Lipscomb assistant coach Alejandro Manzanares said. “They did the job and took care of the task pretty fast.” However, on the second line, Lipscomb’s Jorge Ortegon and Pedro Uribe lost 6-2 against Alberto Conde and Nicholas McKinney, which put the doubles play at a tie. “I feel like [line two] didn’t start off the right way,” said Manzanares. “They didn’t have the right energy – they waited a little bit too long to actually start the match, then it was too late to come back from it.” In the No. 1 spot, Lipscomb’s Victor Chaw and Pablo Caffarena played a long battle stretching the set into a tiebreaker but ended up losing 7-6 against Presbyterian’s Oscar Alvarez and Max Banson. “Doubles was rough,” Lipscomb’s No. 1 player Chaw said. “We missed a couple key points. It’s just one of those when you miss a key point, and you just lose it. It was a tough loss, but we bounced back pretty well [in singles].” Despite the loss the doubles point, the Bisons still headed into singles play with a strong mindset and hope for a positive outcome. Playing in line five for Lipscomb was...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 11, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s basketball season wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. Not after rolling through the ASUN and taking the league’s No. 1 seed. Not with five seniors, three of which are 1,000-point scorers. Not with the conference Player of the Year on its roster. Not with road victories at TCU, SMU and Liberty. No, no, no. Absolutely not. 2019 was supposed to be Lipscomb’s year. The Bisons were to be everyone’s NCAA tournament darling – the team that was built to potentially ruin brackets. Every major bracketologist had Lipscomb in the field of 68. But in sports, and especially in March, there are no guarantees. And that’s exactly why we watch with such anticipation, even though there’s always a chance for heartbreak. And there was plenty of heartbreak to go around Sunday in Allen Arena, where Lipscomb dropped a 74-68 loss to Liberty in the ASUN championship. The Flames get to go dancing, the Bisons get to go to the NIT. “It’s disappointing,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “One of the hats you wear when you’re the head coach…you’re responsible for making a lot of people happy. Personally, I hate that we couldn’t deliver the final result that would have kind of put the whole thing over the top.” The Flames earned it. They made shots when it mattered most, including Scottie James’ go-ahead layup with 56 seconds left and a dagger three-pointer from Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz 40 seconds later. Meanwhile, Lipscomb’s stars faded at the end. Mathews committed the turnover that led to James’ layup and later missed a three-pointer with four ticks remaining. Rob Marberry missed a layup...
by Spencer Boehme | Mar 11, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
The stage was set for the ASUN men’s basketball championship game on Sunday afternoon. After a stormy Saturday, the sun came out and fans began filling Allen Arena to watch the No. 1 Lipscomb Bisons (25-7) take on the No. 2 Liberty Flames (28-6). And then Lipscomb lost a heart-wrenching, back-and-forth contest, 74-68. “It was an unbelievable day,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “And I’m proud of our team for being in a position to host this game, and I love the Lipscomb people who showed up and made it a great day for us.” 5,607 fans showed up to the sellout game, setting a new Allen Arena record. It was difficult to find an empty seat, and the raucous crowd made itself seen and heard. Instead, Sunday’s game featured towel-waving fans in a nationally televised game that lived up to its expectations. “I think the ASUN won tonight,” Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said. “That crowd was terrific. That was a great atmosphere.” The big question is: can Lipscomb continue to fill its arena? First, we have to acknowledge the fact that Sunday’s game was special and doesn’t happen every day. That makes my answer an immediate ‘no.’ Second is the fact that Lipscomb lost on Sunday. That’s not to diminish the novelty of Sunday, especially when you look at the Bisons’ recent attendance boosts. Starters Kenny Cooper and Michael Buckland will be seniors next season. Redshirt freshman Ahsan Asadullah played some solid basketball on Sunday with eight points, nine rebounds and two steals. The fans loved watching him. Overall, there are a lot of bench players who...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team had a chance to earn a return trip to the NCAA tournament if it could win Sunday’s ASUN championship game. But Liberty (28-6) stood in the way, and most of the record crowd of 5,607 in Allen Arena went home in disappointment. The Flames used a 45-point outburst in the second half to squeeze past the No. 1 Bisons, 74-68. That gave the No. 2 Flames the ASUN championship and an automatic berth to the Big Dance. “It certainly stings,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “It’s a real privilege to be part of a game like that. I loved the Lipscomb people that showed up and made it a great day for us.” Despite an impressive regular season that included 11 road wins and a No. 42 NET ranking, Lipscomb (25-7) is likely heading to the NIT. Seeds and pairings for both tournaments will be announced next Sunday, March 17. Liberty forward Scottie James made a layup with 56 seconds remaining to give his team the lead for good, and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz hit a three on the next possession to extend that advantage to 70-66. Lipscomb senior Rob Marberry then converted a jumper and drew a foul, but he missed the free throw, and James hit two freebies to ice the title for Liberty. “They’re a resilient team, a tough team,” Lipscomb junior Kenny Cooper said. “They know what they’re running, and they run it well. Kudos to them for sticking to their plan and pulling it out.” Liberty went on a 9-0 run to end the first half and took a 29-28 lead...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The scenarios for Sunday’s ASUN championship game are simple: winner goes to the NCAA tournament, loser goes to the NIT. It’s the rubber match for No. 1 Lipscomb and No. 2 Liberty, and this time, the teams will battle on a national stage. The game will be televised by ESPN, and a sellout crowd is expected in Allen Arena. “I would almost say it’ll be a similar feeling to when we went to March Madness last year, but it’ll be on our home floor,” Lipscomb senior Garrison Mathews said. “It’s going to be crazy to play in front of that many fans that are going for [us].” Lipscomb (25-6) knocked off Kennesaw State and NJIT to reach its second-straight title game. The Bisons beat Florida Gulf Coast 108-96 to advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Meanwhile, Liberty (27-6) beat Jacksonville and North Florida to earn a trip to Nashville and a chance for a title in its first season as a member of the ASUN. On Jan. 29, Lipscomb crushed Liberty on its home-court, 77-55. The Flames then returned the favor by handing the Bisons a 74-66 loss two weeks later. The two teams play different styles, but something must give this time. “The styles were what was so different,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “The first game better reflected how we like to play, the second one better reflected how they like to play. It’s not always that simple, but that will go a long way toward who wins this game.” BREAKING DOWN THE FLAMES: Liberty had a clear path to the...
