by Russell Vannozzi | Jan 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Eli Pepper etched his name in the Lipscomb basketball record books Tuesday night. The lanky post grabbed his 841st career rebound in an 81-66 victory over North Florida, surpassing Adnan Hodzic’s previous record of 840 boards. Pepper now stands alone as Lipscomb’s most decorated rebounder in the NCAA Division I era, which began with the 2001-02 season. “It took a lot of hard work,” Pepper said. “[The record] is not what it’s ever been about. It’s been a goal, of course. But it’s more about this team and taking last year’s history and doing better and going further.” The feat did not come easily. The Kentucky native struggled with consistency early in his career and has often been overshadowed by Lipscomb’s premier scorers like Garrison Mathews and Rob Marberry. But now, as a senior, coach Casey Alexander said that Pepper serves as a model of consistency and an example for the team’s younger players. “His effort is always there,” Alexander said. “The thing we can count on the most with Eli is him being ready and giving his best effort. You have a good player and the making of a good team when you have a lot of those guys.” Pepper’s night against the Ospreys included much more than just the rebounding record. He finished with 20 points and 11 boards for his third double-double of the season. He also hit a trio of shots from beyond the arc for the second-straight game. Pepper is shooting 42 percent (11-of-26) from long range this season. “I’ve told a lot of people that it’s taken four years,” Pepper said of his shooting...
by Grant Ledgister | Jan 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
ASUN conference play is heating up, which means every game is important and no opponent should be underestimated. It was touch-and-go for a good portion of the first half, but the Lipscomb men’s basketball team turned up the heat on the North Florida Ospreys and never let go in an 81-66 victory at Allen Arena Tuesday night. Senior guard Garrison Mathews returned to action after missing last Saturday’s game with a leg injury he suffered at Clemson on Dec. 30. He scored 25 points and knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, in addtion to giving the Bisons a boost with his veteran leadership and poise. Lipscomb (11-4, 2-0 in ASUN play) has dropped four of its last five games to the Ospreys (7-10, 1-1 in ASUN play), and early on in Wednesday’s contest it looked as if trend might continue. Despite senior forward Eli Pepper grabbing his Lipscomb record-setting 841st rebound, neither team was playing particularly well. The teams combined for 16 turnovers – 9 of which were committed by Lipscomb – with around 8 minutes to go in the half. Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said he was disappointed with how often his team turned it over. “This is three games in a row where we’ve uncharacteristically made a lot of turnovers,” he said. “We’ve got to fix it. It’s personal pride. It’s just being a little bit more solid decision-making performance.” The Bisons wouldn’t make the fix before the end of the first half, going on to commit 6 more turnovers. But they kept pouring on the points anyway. A good stretch of possessions, including a...
by Carly Reams | Jan 9, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
It’s been a rough season so far for the Lipscomb’s women’s basketball team as its twelve-loss streak continued with a 68-53 loss against North Florida Tuesday night. The Lady Bisons (2-13) faced off against their ASUN rival North Florida (6-7) at Allen Arena with hopes to move forward from their losing streak. That hope was defeated as Lipscomb left the court with another loss. On Tuesday, the Lady Bisons’ trouble was stopping turnovers from the Ospreys. By the end of the game, Lipscomb suffered a high 21 turnovers, and in the first two quarters a low field goal percentage. The Bisons just couldn’t seem to shoot or keep the ball well in the first half of the game. The Lady Bisons had major trouble penetrating through North Florida’s defense and was mainly only successful in their free throws for the night. Lipscomb is in the top five in the ASUN for free throw percentage, and for most of the night that percentage was at 100%. Lipscomb’s junior starting guard Carleigh Short took the first shot of the night — a three-pointer that put some numbers on the board early for Lipscomb. By the end of the game, Short left the court with a total of seven three’s for the night. That wasn’t enough though, and by the end of the third quarter, UNF had a 22-point lead. By the end of the game, the Lady Bisons cut North Florida’s lead to 15, but it wasn’t enough, as the Lady Bisons ended a five-in-a-row win record against UNF. The Lady Bisons will be looking to end their losing record as...
by Russell Vannozzi | Dec 30, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
CLEMSON, S.C. – 2018 was a special year for the Lipscomb men’s basketball team. The Bisons won the ASUN tournament title, made their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance and continued their mid-major relevance by starting this season 9-3. But their last performance of the year was one to forget. Lipscomb shot the ball poorly in the first half and committed a season-high 22 turnovers in an 84-67 loss to Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum Sunday. “Turnovers affected us in a big way, and I give [Clemson] credit for that,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander told LipscombSports.com. “Anyone who watches our team play knows [that] was uncharacteristic of us.” Senior guard Garrison Mathews led the Bisons with 19 points. He injured his left leg in the second half but returned seven minutes later and finished out the game with a noticeable limp. Clemson (10-3) used its size and speed to give Lipscomb fits throughout the game. The Tigers had 15 steals and six blocks on the defensive end, while guard Marcquise Reed (26 points) and forward David Skara (17 points) made their presence felt on offense in front of 7,879 fans. Lipscomb (9-4) outscored Clemson 40-38 in the second half, but the Bisons’ 19-point halftime deficit (46-27) was too much to overcome. Lipscomb shot just 38 percent (8-of-21) in the first 20 minutes. “We just needed to play better in the second half because we thought we could still win the game,” Alexander said. “We cut the margin significantly at the first media timeout just by being more solid and not making mistakes, but over the course of 40 minutes, Clemson was a lot better...
by Lumination Staff | Dec 28, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, Fashion, News Slider, Opinion, Sports
Editor’s Note: Click title to view each story 2018 was an exciting time to be a Lipscomb student. The year came with both celebratory and controversial moments. Lipscomb’s athletic teams reached new heights, the administration made steps toward connecting with LGBT students, Allen Arena hosted the GMA’s Dove Awards for the sixth year in a row and a recent alum joined Kelly Clarkson’s touring band. But amid the positive news, there were also times of controversy and frustration. A Trump cabinet member spoke at a private healthcare event in Shamblin in September, firing up students on both sides of the aisle. 21 Fast-Track MBA students were found cheating on a final exam. Hurricane Florence ravaged the homes of several students. Lumination journalists were there to cover all of this — plus more. By combing through Google Analytics and our social media platforms, we determined our top 10 stories of 2018: No. 1: Lipscomb basketball NCAA tournament coverage, by Erin Franklin, Cole Gray & Russell Vannozzi Lipscomb men’s basketball made school history by winning its first-ever ASUN tournament title and advancing to the NCAA tournament thanks to a 108-96 victory at FGCU on March 4. There were several top stories that emerged from the Bisons’ tournament run, including: – In their own words: Lipscomb students react to historic win, by Cole Gray – Column: Lipscomb finally breaks into NCAA tourney after long, disappointing road, by Russell Vannozzi – A look back: the rich history of Bisons basketball, by Erin Franklin – Lipscomb falls to UNC in first round of NCAA Tournament after historic run, by Cole Gray No. 2: Students cheat...
by Russell Vannozzi | Dec 25, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Jeffrey Passantino spent his minor league baseball season living out of a suitcase. In a span of three months, he moved from Arizona to Indiana to Oregon and, finally, back to Indiana. “One side is dirty, one side is clean,” he said of the makeshift dresser on wheels. His former Lipscomb teammates Brady Puckett and Lee Solomon had more stable living situations, at least by minor league standards. Puckett was with the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers for one month before he was promoted to the Jupiter (Fla.) Hammerheads, while Solomon headed west to Peoria, Arizona, after being selected by the San Diego Padres in June’s MLB Amateur Draft. “There are no complaints whatsoever,” Puckett said. “It was really hot [in Florida], and I sweated through like three shirts every day, but I had a good time.” All three players had standout seasons and are now one step closer to becoming Lipscomb’s next crop of talent to reach the big leagues – a group that includes Caleb Joseph, Rex Brothers and Josh Smith. Cheap hotels, long bus rides and fast-food meals aside, each of the former Bisons said they are thrilled to be chasing a dream that so few are afforded. “It’s hard to beat,” Solomon said of minor league life. “Our manager is always reminding us that we’re making money by hitting batting practice and taking ground balls instead of living in an office.” Passantino logged the most miles of the trio this season. He began the year in the Chicago Cubs’ extended Spring Training, but he was added to the Class-A South Bend Cubs for 10 days in June....
