by Logan Butts | Nov 24, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
For the second time in only a week the Lipscomb Bisons have fallen to their Battle of the Boulevard rival Belmont Bruins, this time by a score of 82-77. The 136th edition of the ‘Battle’ had a familiar feeling as the Bruins came out with a victory for the seventh iteration in a row, albeit by a much closer margin than this season’s first matchup. “I’m proud of our players,” Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander said.” “[They showed] a lot of persistence, and real great effort to battle back like that.” Seniors Malcolm and Martin Smith kept the Bisons in the game in the final moments. Both finished with 21 points on the night. Malcolm Smith tied Talbott Denny for a team leading 6 rebounds and notched 3 assists as well. “They’re [Martin and Malcolm Smith] seniors and they’re both thousand-point scorers.” Alexander said, “That’s what they’ve proven they can do. They have to keep doing it.” Clutch free throws from junior Craig Bradshaw down the stretch helped secure the victory for the Bruins. Bradshaw scored 29 points in the game, a new career high, and went 5-7 from downtown. He also collected 5 rebounds and 4 assists. “He was their best player down the stretch last year,” Alexander said about Bradshaw, “He’s had some unbelievable games, and he killed us when he had to kill us.” A back-breaking three-pointer from junior Jeff Laidig started the Bruins on a devastating 14-0 run in the waning moments of the first half. Laidig’s basket, which came directly after Lipscomb’s Malcolm Smith had tied the game at 27, crippled any momentum the...
by Logan Butts | Nov 17, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
In the 135th iteration of the Battle of the Boulevard, the Bisons lost to their same-street rival Belmont for the sixth consecutive time 87-62. Sophomore Josh Williams was one of the few bright spots for the Bisons. He scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds. The Bruins started off the game scorching with a pair of quick baskets from Junior Craig Bradshaw and Senior Reece Chamberlain in front of the raucous Lipscomb crowd. The baskets helped spark a 19-5 to begin the game for Belmont. By the halfway point of the first half, the Bisons cut the lead down to single digits, 24-16 thanks to the trio of senior Martin Smith, sophomore J.C. Hampton and Williams. In what was a game of streaks, the Bruins responded with another hot streak of their own. Belmont held a commanding 40-26 lead with less than three minutes left to play before halftime. “When we go on a run, it just takes one simple thing like a missed rotation or a breakdown just to stop the run,” Smith said, “We just got to get the little things right.” Smith scored surpassed 1,000 points for his career on the night, joining his brother Malcolm who surpassed the milestone in the 2014 Atlantic Sun Tournament. “It feels pretty good, wish we could’ve got the win though.” Smith said. Had it not been for a pair of three point plays, one traditional and one the hard way, from Williams and another three from freshman Nate Moran in the final moments of the half, the halftime deficit may have been insurmountable. The Bisons, however, only trailed by...
by Chad Johnson | Sep 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s rare that a “villain” crosses over to the good side; however, for one Lipscomb student, the choice was easy. Chad Lang is a recent graduate of Belmont University, and was also on the Bruin basketball team. With another year of NCAA eligibility left, Lang decided to transfer to Lipscomb to play ball and work on his Master’s in Management (Entrepreneurship). Standing 6’11”, Lang is a perfect fit for the Bisons, who were in need of some size in the low-post. “I’ve known Casey [Alexander] since I was 17, and the graduate program was a perfect fit for what I want to do,” he said. “I can work, play and get my master’s.” Coach Alexander recruited Lang out of high school while he was an assistant at Belmont. “While this is a new team, basketball spirits are high, and there’s great team chemistry, Lang added. “So it’s been a great transition from where I was, to where I am now.” Coming from Belmont, Lang is no stranger to winning. He was a part of teams that won four conference championships and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. “More than anything, I think I bring leadership and experience,” Lang said. “I already know what to expect from Coach Alexander and what it takes to win a championship.” Lang admits that it took some time getting used to being at this end of the Boulevard, but everybody has been welcoming. “At first, it was kinda weird being over here, but everybody has been very friendly,” he said. Lang is looking forward to donning the purple and gold against his former team in...
by Jesica Parsley | Aug 26, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Lady Bison basketball released the competitive 2014-2015 schedule on Aug. 20. The highlight of the schedule for fans will be the game on Dec. 7 against the Tennessee Lady Vols at Allen Arena. “Hosting Tennessee at home is exciting,” red-shirt junior Danay Fothergill said. “We want to look at it as just another game. We want to use our advantages to be competitive and just have fun.” The regular season tips off Nov. 14 with Georgia Southern and Nov. 16 against Wright State. Both non-conference games will be played in Allen Arena. The highly anticipated Battle of the Boulevard matchup will be played Dec. 2 at Belmont. Before ending the non-conference schedule, the Lady Bisons will travel to Ohio to face Xavier on Dec. 20. After the Christmas holidays, Lipscomb takes on Georgia Tech in Atlanta Dec. 29. On Jan. 5 in Allen Arena, Trevecca will be the last team the Lady Bisons play before Atlantic Sun Conference play begins. The last 14 games on the regular season are A-Sun matchups. “We just want to make sure we end non-conference play after Christmas with energy going into conference,” Fothergill said. Jan. 10 starts conference play against Northern Kentucky in Allen Arena. The Lady Bisons are ready to show they belong in the stacked A-Sun conference. The first real A-Sun test may come on Jan. 29 against Florida Gulf Coast in Allen Arena. “Florida Gulf Coast brings a lot to the conference and are always a tough matchup,” Fothergill said. “We have something to prove and are ready to show what we have been working on.” The last three out...
by Logan Butts | Aug 16, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Battle of the Boulevard is routinely one of the biggest games of the year for all Lipscomb and Belmont sports teams. The heated rivalry often leads to physical, heated matches, and this incarnation was no different. In front of the home crowd, the Bisons earned a hard-fought victory in their first game of the season against the rival Bruins 3-2. Senior and captain Luke Gearin, recently voted the pre-season A-Sun Defensive player of the Year, put away the game-winning goal off of a penalty kick in the second half of overtime. Fellow senior and A-Sun pre-season Player of the Year Omar Djabi drew the foul that earned the penalty kick with three minutes to go in the second overtime period. The high-scoring affair began with a goal from junior forward Zach Tarbox fifteen minutes into the game, followed by a Belmont equalizer from sophomore forward AJ Arnold late in the first half. Belmont sophomore keeper Grayson Rector and Lipscomb sophomore keeper Micah Bledsoe made back-to-back key saves for their respective squads early in the second half. Ten minutes into the second half Lipscomb junior midfielder Josue Chavez rocketed a shot in from outside the box to give the Bisons a 2-1 lead. Senior Bruin midfielder Rashad Hyacenth fired in an impressive shot of his own halfway through the second half to tie the game at two apiece. photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
