by Logan Butts | Feb 16, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Originally posted at LipscombSports.com In a close game that saw multiple lead changes throughout, the Lipscomb women’s basketball came out on top Saturday afternoon against Atlantic Sun Conference foe North Florida 84-76 in Allen Arena. The victory gave Lipscomb their first back-to-back victories since wins over North Florida and Jacksonville in the 2011-12 season. The Lady Bisons (5-19, 2-11 A-Sun), who saw four out of five starters reach double digits in scoring, were led by Ashley Southern’s career high 29 points off of 12-of-17 shooting from the field. Southern also notched 12 rebounds and four assists in a prolific game for the sophomore. The Ospreys (5-17, 1-11 A-Sun) came out strong, starting off the game on a 14-3 run. Junior Destinee Smith, the Ospreys’ leading scorer, scored 11 points in the first five minutes of the game. North Florida held the lead for most of the first half, with the Lady Bisons pulling ahead for the first time with less than two minutes to go until halftime. After trading baskets for the final minutes of the first half, North Florida went into the locker room with a 43-42 lead. “Smith came out ready to go, and then we started doing what we were supposed to do in the first place,” said Lipscomb head coach Greg Brown, “We made a couple of adjustments, just making sure we were there with her coming off the screens. We were a little quicker getting to her. And then law of averages sometimes kicks in. They came out hitting everything, but we were able to slow them down.” Southern scored the first bucket of...
by Chad Johnson | Feb 12, 2014 | Sports
For many freshmen, getting acclimated to college is quite an adjustment. For freshman athletes, the learning curve often is even bigger. Freshman basketball player Josh Williams has hit the ground running and hasn’t looked back. The freshman guard has taken the conference by storm with his play and has been a big lift for the Bisons. He credits the coaches and teammates for much of his success. “I have to give a lot credit to the coaching staff for putting me in positions to succeed, and my teammates,” Williams said. “They’re always trying to make me better.” The Jackson, Miss., native has received the Atlantic Sun Newcomer of the Week award twice this season. “It’s nice to be recognized by the conference for my play,” Williams said. “I’m just trying to get better each day.” Williams has elevated his play since returning to school from the Christmas break, posting 12.2 points per game and grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game so far this season. He says that he is playing with a lot more confidence and feels comfortable in his role. “Coming into the season, I really didn’t know what to expect, but when my opportunity came, I just tried to make the most of it,” Williams said. “I just try to let the game come to me, and take what the defense gives me.” Note: The author is a member of the men’s basketball team. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Carter Sanderson | Feb 7, 2014 | Sports
You can hear them now. The loud chants from the dugout of a softball field are right around the corner as the team gets ready for another season under head coach Kristin Ryman. The Lady Bison softball team has worked hard in the off season after a tremendous effort last year and have high hopes as they start to prepare for the new season ahead. The team dusted off the gloves and shined the bats earlier in the semester for their upcoming season as Monday, Jan. 13, marked the first official day. “Right now, we’re getting a lot of hitting trying to work around the weather,” said assistant coach Megan Smith. “The field has been a little bit wet, but we’ve been able to get outside.” The Atlantic Sun conference schedule starts a week earlier this year, which eliminates the opportunity to play in a lot of additional tournaments, so the Lady Bisons will play a bit of a shorter schedule than the usual tournament run. The team has spent most of their first week in McQuiddy Gym due to the weather and the fields being wet; however, Smith says she is pleased with the work they are able to get in. “We’re trying to do some of those little things that we need to finish right before we get going and really don’t have time to work mechanics,” Smith said. Ryman also chimed in and said she expects another tough A-Sun season with the top teams in the conference returning the majority of their players, and Smith is excited about who the Lady Bisons have coming back as...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 6, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
When you extend your conference winning streak to four, the best way to do so is to win by knocking down a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go in the game. At least that’s what works for the Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball team. After a road stretch in Kentucky and Florida, freshman guard Josh Williams’ game-ending three gave the Bisons a 77-75 win over the visiting USC Upstate at Allen Arena – the fourth straight Atlantic Sun win for Lipscomb. After Thursday’s win, the Bisons are officially on a hot streak. During a tense first half, the Bisons and the Spartans swapped the lead on more than one occasion, as neither team ever truly broke away from the other. Upstate grabbed a quick 31-29 lead at the half. In the second, Lipscomb and Upstate continued to showcase the ebb-and-flow nature of their battle, with neither team getting up for too long. However, the Spartans gained late steam, holding a 71-63 lead with a little over two minutes to go. But, a Chad Johnson three-pointer gave the Bisons a spark, as Williams and redshirt freshman guard J.C. Hampton also knocked down shots from the arch to help put the Bisons within three with around a minute to go. A Hampton layup pulled the team within one, and after Williams’ last-second jaw-dropper from the three-point line, the Bisons held the Spartans’ offense during the closing seconds to get the win. Williams and Hampton led the charge for the Bisons in scoring with 21, while senior forward Torrey Craig led for the Spartans with 18. Lipscomb’s junior forward Martin Smith had 14 points, while...
by Logan Butts | Feb 2, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Despite a back and forth first half, the Lipscomb Lady Bisons extended their losing streak to 10 games in a 82-47 loss to the Stetson Hatters at Allen Arena. The win for the Hatters was their eighth in a row. The Hatters came out firing on all cylinders after halftime, starting off the second half with a 13-0 run to extend their 11 point lead to 24. The Lady Bisons struggled to find their shooting touch throughout the game as Stetson’s defense was strong from the get-go. The Lady Bisons shot 15-66 from the floor on the game. Lispcomb especially had trouble behind the arch, finishing the game 6-33 from the 3-point line. The Lady Bisons usual sharpshooters all had trouble finding the basket. Danay Fothergill, Chandler Cooper and Sara Bliss combined to shoot just 3-24 from outside. One silver lining for the Lady Bisons was the play of sophomore Ashley Southern. Southern almost notched a double-double in the first half with nine points and 11 rebounds. She finished off the achievement in the second half, ending the game with 14 points (on 6-14 shooting) with 16 rebounds. Southern has now recorded a double-double in seven straight games. Southern is also closing in on the Atlantic Sun Conference record for most double-doubles in a season. She has 16 double-doubles on the season, just five away from the conference record of 21. “I mean, that’s pretty exciting, but I’d much rather us be number one in the conference,” Southern said. With the outside shot lacking, the Lady Bisons ran the offense through Southern for most of the game. Even though...
