by Erin Franklin | Mar 2, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Former Lipscomb goalkeeper Micah Bledsoe helped lead Nashville SC to a 2-0 victory against the Bisons on Thursday night at the Lipscomb soccer complex. Bledsoe, who spent last season with USL Cup champions, Louisville City, just recently signed his contract with Nashville Soccer Club on Feb. 10. The 6-foot-4 starting keeper graduated as Lipscomb’s all-time leader in wins (26), save percentage (.735) and clean sheets (15). “It is a little weird (playing your old team), but as soon as the game kicks off, you forget about it pretty quickly,” Bledsoe said. “But it was a little interesting, a little surreal.” In addition to Bledsoe, three recent Lipscomb grads also got a chance to play on their previous home turf as “trialists” — Ivan Alvarado, Ivan Sakou and Eduardo Reza. Despite the second-half surge, Nashville SC’s head coach Gary Smith said he pinpointed some challenges his team faced in the game that he wants his players to improve upon and fix. The whole first half remained neck-and-neck, with a similar amount of possession for each team. At the end of the first half, Lipscomb and Nashville SC remained tied 0-0, despite each tallying a number of shooting opportunities. “The younger group started . . .and it was nice to see our first USL group, and then the (second) group came on, and, in fairness, dominated the game but couldn’t score,” Smith said. “We had some challenges — they (Lipscomb) set very deep — that we have to look at and work out.” Goals from Ian McGrath and Martin Galvao sealed the win over Lipscomb in the second half. Galvao also...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 1, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s basketball senior Loren Cagle has accomplished just about every imaginable personal feat in her four-year career with the Lady Bisons. The point guard has racked up 1,092 career points and 521 career assists, while being named ASUN Player of the Week four times and listed on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch list twice. The Nashville-native can now add ASUN Player of the Year to her list of accolades, after the conference tabbed her as its best player at an ASUN luncheon on Thursday. “I’ve been fortunate to be around some great players, but she’s been unbelievable,” Lipscomb coach Greg Brown said. “She’s a stat-line filler, from the rebounding to the blocked shots to the steals. She’s handled a lot of pressure with great composure and poise.” Despite the personal accomplishments, Cagle and her fellow seniors have yet to win an ASUN tournament game. The Lady Bisons (11-18, 7-7 ASUN) can change that when USC Upstate comes to town for the ASUN quarterfinals on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Allen Arena. Individually speaking, Cagle is currently enjoying the best statistical season of her career, averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The emergence of young point guards like Lauren Rau and Lexi Manos has allowed opportunities for Cagle to become a more dynamic scorer. “[Cagle’s] teammates have been a great complement to her,” Brown said. “They’ve done a great job of getting her open with ball screens and having teammates that can knock down shots has given her space to operate this season.” For Cagle, a Lipscomb Academy graduate and self-proclaimed homebody, signing with Brown and...
by Spencer Boehme | Feb 27, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lipscomb put in a stellar second half to grab a victory in the first round of the ASUN men’s basketball tournament on Monday night. The No. 2 Lipscomb Bisons (21-9) defeated the No. 7 Stetson Hatters (12-20) by a score of 89-73 in a well-attended game. Lipscomb converted on 14-of-32 three-pointers. “We just haven’t been a good three-point shooting team all season,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “So 14-for-32’s a great night for us.” Junior guard Garrison Mathews shot 10-of-16 on field goals and 4-of-4 on free throws in a 29-point team-leading effort. Junior forward Eli Pepper led with eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Matt Rose shot 5-of-9 off the bench for a second-best 15 points. Every shot he attempted was from behind the three-point line. “That’s what he does best,” Alexander said. “That’s why he’s in there.” For the Hatters, freshman forward Abayomi Iyiola shot 7-of-9 on field goals and 4-of-6 on free throws for a team-best 18 points. He also led the team with 10 rebounds. Senior guard Divine Myles went 4-of-6 on field goals and 6-of-8 on free throws and finished with a second-best 15 points. The Bisons shot 46.4 percent from the field, while the Hatters converted on 43.6 percent of their shots. The Hatters out-rebounded the Bisons 39-36, but they lost the assist battle 22-12 and committed 18 turnovers compared to Lipscomb’s 11. Lipscomb took an 8-2 lead to start things out. Later on, Stetson set the score at 19-13 in favor of Lipscomb with a Myles jumper at the 12:09 mark. The Bisons then rode a 13-3 run to extend the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Feb 26, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The first-ever game played at Allen Arena featured a 65-foot, game-winning shot from Lipscomb’s Clayton Osborn, giving the Bisons a 75-74 victory over North Texas on November 27, 2001. The memory of that play lives on in a “2001” shot promotion, where a student attempts a heave from the same spot in hopes of winning $2,001 dollars at each Lipscomb home game. During this season’s opener against Emory, the promotion went awry when an attempt missed the goal and went straight for the Lipscomb team, who had their backs turned to the action. Who was there to protect the huddle? None other than student manager Zack Olley, who quickly sidestepped a coach and punched the ball out of mid-air and safely away from the team meeting. Such is the life of a college basketball manager. Olley’s position emphasizes the details that won’t necessarily be recognized or seen by many. “You have to have a servant’s heart because you’re doing things behind the scenes that are for the good of others,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said of Olley’s manager role. “It’s almost like if you get noticed, you’ve done something wrong.” The senior does everything from laundry to filling water bottles to rounding up basketballs before and after games and practices. In return, Olley receives a small scholarship and behind-the-scenes access to a Division I basketball program. The Galloway, New Jersey native has spent the last four years with the Bisons basketball team, working long hours while balancing the job with his school demands. Despite not wearing a uniform, Olley spends so much time with the team that he’s sometimes...
by Parker Bell | Feb 26, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Freshman pitcher Noah Thompson won his first career game on the mound against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights to close out a tough weekend at home. Thompson, Lipscomb’s starting pitcher, allowed four hits and only walked one batter to lead the Bisons to a 3 – 1 victory on Sunday. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bisons. Lipscomb lost to Indiana State on Friday and Kent State on Saturday. Fairleigh Dickinson’s hitting came easy early against Thompson with a leadoff double by Brandon Seltzer in the first inning. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and was brought home on an RBI single from Bobby Romano. “That’s not a good way to start off,” Thompson said about his start. “I usually get better as I go on. Once I get past that first inning, I’m usually pretty good.” Thompson went on to pitch the first five innings. He faced 21 batters, striking out five of them. He only allowed two hits after the first inning. “He’s a guy we’re going to count on every weekend,” coach Jeff Forehand said on Thompson. “He got us through five innings today. And the bullpen came in behind him and did a great job.” Center fielder Josh Martinez got the Bisons rolling on offense with a solo homer over the right field wall to tie the game at one in the bottom of the second. Martinez’s solo shot was followed by singles from Chris Bashlor and Blake Thomas. Despite allowing three hits on consecutive at bats, pitcher Corey Zeller closed out the inning with two strikeouts and a fly out,...
by Spencer Boehme | Feb 25, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Seven Lady Bisons played in their last regular-season college basketball game on Saturday evening. The Lipscomb Lady Bisons (11-18, 7-7 ASUN) grabbed a Senior-Night victory over the Kennesaw State Owls (7-18, 3-11) by a score of 69-52. “I told them I hadn’t been breathing for about 18 hours,” Lipscomb coach Greg Brown said of the seniors. “There’s so much emotion in it, especially with that many seniors.” Senior guard Loren Cagle led Lipscomb with 16 points, going 5-of-16 on field goals and 3-of-8 on free throws. She also added a team-best six rebounds and four assists. Cagle is a longtime Lipscomb student dating back to her Lipscomb Academy days as a fifth-grader. “It’s been awesome to have this career here,” Cagle said, “and for [my coaches] to help me along the way.” The Lady Bisons had already sealed a home game for the postseason, but they utilized the same intensity they’ve had all year long. Lipscomb shot more efficiently than Kennesaw State (41.9 percent to 32.2 percent), and the Owls never led nor tied. Lipscomb took a 19-4 lead with 2:13 to go in the first period. During that time, redshirt freshman forward Emily Kmec converted on two three-pointers, including the first basket of the game. The Owls then broke a 10-point Lady Bisons run with a 16-5 effort, which included 10 unanswered points, to put the score at 24-20 with 4:10 left in the second period. They brought the score to 25-23 with 2:44 left, but Lipscomb went on a 7-2 run to finish the half leading 32-25. In the second half, Kennesaw State pulled the scoring margin...
