by Russell Vannozzi | Jan 19, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Just three games into the ASUN slate, the Lipscomb women’s basketball team has already equaled its total of six victories from last season. That includes two conference wins and three victories in the last four contests. What’s been the difference this time around? Coach Greg Brown said he believes it’s a combination of new coaches, new personnel and a focus on continual improvement. “We’ve tried to teach a growth mentality,” Brown said. “We played some tough games in the non-conference schedule and tried to learn from each of them. [The team] is putting some of those lessons in action now, and they’re reaping the benefits.” The Lady Bisons (6-12, 2-1 ASUN) are fresh off a 73-69 win at North Florida on Monday, when senior guard Loren Cagle poured in a career-high 31 points. Cagle’s offensive production has nearly doubled – she’s up to 17.4 points per game this year versus 8.9 points per game last season – thanks in part to the emergence of young point guards like Lauren Rau, Lexi Manos and Carleigh Short. “Last year we relied on [Cagle] a lot,” Brown said. “Rau was sick and [Manos and Short] were both freshmen. We’ve been able to take the pressure off Cagle and that’s allowed her to be more aggressive.” In addition to Cagle’s improvement, redshirt freshman Emily Kmec has challenged opposing defenses with her height and shooting ability. The Carmel, Indiana, native is 47-of-133 (35 percent) from beyond the arc and is second on the team in rebounds with 79. “Kmec has come in and changed some of our dynamics by being able to stretch the floor,”...
by Tyler Harvey | Jan 19, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team fell to conference rival Florida Gulf Coast Thursday night in Allen Arena after losing an 18-point second half lead. Coming into the game, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles had an undefeated conference record winning all three of its conference games so far. The Eagles also had a five-game winning streak going into Thursday night. However the Bisons came into the game on a bit of cold streak having lost three of their last five games. Despite this, Lipscomb Head Coach Casey Alexander said the game would not be a problem for the Bisons. “We shouldn’t have a problem keeping the intensity up,” Alexander said. “This is a big game.” The Eagles started off the game strong by making four of their first four shots to take the lead 8-2. However, Lipscomb didn’t let FGCU extend the lead any further at that point. The Bisons stormed right back and tied the game at 13-all two minutes later. The lead went back and forth until Lipscomb junior Garrison Mathews was able to spark the team late in the first half. Mathews, who is having a standout season, made a three-point shot to break the tie and put the Bisons up 41-38 with 2:14 left in the first half. That shot sparked the Bisons, and they went on a 13-2 run to end the first half. At halftime, the Bisons led 48-40. While the Bisons were able to extend their lead by halftime, the men still had a lot to work for the next half as went into the locker room. Florida Gulf Coast’s field goal percentage...
by Cole Gray | Jan 11, 2018 | BREAKING NEWS, Sports
Bisons point guard Nathan Moran, who has not played in a game this year, plans to redshirt the season to focus on “trying to get my full speed and strength back,” he told Lumination Network in a text message. Coach Casey Alexander said Moran was healthy enough to return, but wouldn’t play “unless something changes” in his recovery or team circumstances. “It’s been slower than normal,” Alexander said. “It’s all health-related.” In college athletics, a player choosing to redshirt saves a year of eligibility, but forfeits the additional year of eligibility if they enter a game during the redshirt season. Moran started every game of the 2016-17 season,, averaged 11.1 points per game and was second in the A-SUN with 4.2 assists per game last year. The team’s leading shooter, he made 90 three-pointers at a 41.7% clip. He finished the year with a torn labrum in each hip and underwent surgeries in April and June. The senior said he made the decision to redshirt the season after Lipscomb swept crosstown rival Belmont in December. He returned to practice on Jan. 5. Feeling super thankful and lucky to be able to practice this week for the first time in over 9 months! GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!!! — Nathan Moran (@nate5_moran) January 10, 2018 The 11-5 Bisons play their second conference game on the road at North Florida (6-12) tonight at 6:00 PM. Lipscomb is 5-5 on the road and opened the A-SUN slate with a win at Kennesaw State Saturday. The Ospreys, led by sophomore guard Ivan Gandia-Rosa, are 5-1 at home. The last time Lipscomb played North Florida, junior guard...
by Ashley Bingham | Dec 27, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
George Brammeier has always stood out from the crowd. Part of this can be attributed to his 6-feet-10-inch stature, but also, Brammeier does not fit the mold of a typical college athlete. The senior doubles as a forward for the basketball team and as a philosophy student at Lipscomb. Brammeier said his passion for philosophy even came as a surprise to him, as he started college thinking he would go into the medical field. “I did not expect to start out as a philosophy major,” Brammeier said. “I had no idea what philosophy was as a freshman, and I didn’t know much about the discipline.” As challenging as the major can be, Brammeier said he thinks he made the right decision, although he admitted that some of the concepts will “blow your brains out.” Brammeier added that even though he doesn’t see a job in philosophy as ideal, he believes the degree will help him in his professional career. The Florida native plans to get a Masters in conflict management, which he will start working toward next spring. Brammeier said that finding a balance between academics and basketball can be difficult, but that he wants to put forth the effort in order to make college a beneficial experience. “Just like anything else, you get out what you put in,” Brammeier said. “I could’ve been in the easiest major here – whatever that may be – but I wanted to put in enough that I could get something out of it.” According to Brammeier, time management and discipline have been crucial to finding this balance. His “ambitious, cerebral and logical” personality –...
by Russell Vannozzi | Dec 5, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
If traffic gets stopped on Belmont Boulevard on Wednesday, there’s no need to be alarmed – it’s just the Lipscomb faithful staking claim to the street. For the second straight week, Lipscomb topped archival Belmont – this one a 69-54 victory at Allen Arena. The Bisons also defeated the Bruins by a score of 74-66 in the season’s first addition of the Battle of the Boulevard on Nov. 27. “Not many teams do that to them,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said of beating the Bruins twice. “They’re a great team, and that’s why it means so much for us to win it.” Junior guard Garrison Mathews powered the Bisons with 26 points, despite suffering an apparent injury in an overtime victory over Tennessee State on Saturday. Mathews wore a sleeve on his right knee and appeared to be operating close to full strength. “We thought he was out for the season 48 hours ago, so I’m glad he’s not,” Alexander said. “It seemed like every time we needed something good to happen, [Garrison] was in the right place.” 20 of Mathews’ points came in the second half, including a stretch of six straight points after Belmont went on an 8-0 run midway through the second half. Lipscomb led 28-20 at halftime and pulled away from the Bruins when its offense came alive late in the game. Sophomore guard Kenny Cooper also proved to be a key cog in the win, and he set a new career high in points with 18. “He’s gaining more and more control of the offense, and that’s what we need out of him,” Alexander said of...
by Russell Vannozzi | Nov 28, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
For at least the next week, Belmont Boulevard belongs to Lipscomb. The Bisons basketball team had to hold off a late rally from the Bruins, but ultimately pulled out a 74-66 road win at Curb Event Center. Lipscomb’s victory snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Bruins, marking the first time since January 2012 that the Bisons have claimed a “Battle of the Boulevard” matchup. “The reason this win feels so good is because [Belmont] is a great team,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “This win is incredibly meaningful for our players and for our school.” Junior guard Garrison Mathews poured in 22 points to lead the Bisons, while teammate Rob Marberry chipped in 18. The ending provided plenty of excitement, but the first half was a much different story as the two teams combined for 13 turnovers. The game was knotted at just 26 apiece at halftime. “I thought the first half was pretty sloppy on both sides,” Belmont coach Rick Byrd said. “[Lipscomb] was just the better team, and they were certainly the better-coached team.” The Bisons started the second half with a 14-0 run to swing the momentum in their favor. However, Belmont slowly clawed back and eventually cut Lipscomb’s lead to 64-63 with 3:14 left to play. “We weren’t too nervous – teams are going to go on runs,” Marberry said of Belmont’s attempted comeback. “We were confident that we could get the win.” Lipscomb used two pivotal moments to pull away from the Bruins in crunch time. The first came via a Kenny Cooper steal, and the sophomore finished with a layup on the other end...
