by Martin Baker | Feb 26, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
A long, wet weekend saw cancellations for the Lipscomb baseball team on Friday and Saturday, but the rain was followed by clearer skies and a doubleheader against Western Michigan on Sunday at Ken Dugan Field. “There’s gonna be wind, there’s gonna be sun, there’s gonna be [a] rain delay,” Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand said. “There’s gonna be some factor in every game, and if we’re not ready to adjust to that, we’re gonna find ourselves behind the eight-ball in a lot of games.” Both games were high-scoring, but the first game ended in Western Michigan’s favor with a final tally of 17-5. The Bisons were down 12-0 going into the fourth inning. “You just don’t say anything,” Forehand said. “We had a conversation last week, and we feel like our offense is good enough that we can come back from any deficit.” The Bisons were able to put some runs on the board in the later innings, but it would be too little, too late. This would be the Broncos’ first win of the season, making their record 1-5. “You might think you come out in that game, and you give up 15 runs, that we weren’t ready to play,” Forehand said. “We were ready to play. They just played really well.” Cancellations and a hefty defeat in the first game didn’t shake the confidence the Lipscomb coaching staff had in its initial plans for these games. “We had it kind of scripted on what we were gonna do for both of these games,” Forehand said. “Right now, early in the season, we’re really trying to get as many...
by Spencer Boehme | Feb 17, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
KENNESAW, Ga. — Coming off a tough loss to Liberty earlier in the week, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team travelled to Kennesaw State on Saturday to take on a struggling ASUN bottomfeeder. The Bisons (21-5, 12-1 ASUN) were up to the task, as they beat the Owls (5-22, 2-10 ASUN) by a score of 83-67 at the KSU Convention Center. “I didn’t think we played particularly great, especially the first half,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. At halftime, the Bisons only led 33-29, with senior guard Garrison Mathews shooting 0-of-7. Lipscomb coughed up nine turnovers and fouled 12 times in the first half. “I think we were ready to play the game,” Alexander said. “And then when we didn’t get off to a good start, we didn’t respond that well. We didn’t treat it as if, ‘hey, it’s just not a good start. Stay with it. It’ll happen.’ “We got frustrated, got a little selfish, so it took us a while to get out of the funk.” But Lipscomb cleaned things up in the second half and made life difficult for the Owls. Kennesaw State had 16 second-half fouls, while Mathews put up 14 points. Senior forward Rob Marberry led the charge for the Bisons with a near-perfect day, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 on free throws for 17 total points. Junior guard Michael Buckland had 10 points. Senior forward Eli Pepper nearly posted a double-double, garnering 14 rebounds in addition to eight points. He also had a team-leading five assists. The Owls were led by redshirt junior guard Tyler Hooker, who came into the game averaging...
by Adrienne Luu | Feb 16, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s tennis team lost against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Friday night at the Richland Country Club. The Bisons (3-4) were able to get the lead at the beginning of the night when they won the doubles point. In line one, Lipscomb’s Victor Chaw and Pablo Caffarena were the first to finish their set and lost 6-3 to UTC’s Kerim Hyatt and Simon Bustamente. Jake Penny and Michael Tougher, playing for the Bisons on the third line, won 6-4 in their doubles match against the Mocs’ Jacob Marshall and Pablo Llebeili. Shortly following, the Bisons’ Jorge Ortegon and Pedro Uribe, in line two, delivered the winning point against Niklas Gerdes and Tomas Rodriguez 7-6. This gave Lipscomb the lead at 1-0. “I think it was important that line three finally came together,” Lipscomb coach Geoff Hernandez said. “For Michael to get his first win and Jake to work his way through the injuries and compete, it makes us feel that we’re not just going to win at two lines, but we’re going to win at every line, so I thought [their win] was really big.” Although the Bisons were off to a good start for themselves, they were unable to keep their lead in singles play. On the first line, Lipscomb’s Chaw lost both of his sets 6-1 and 6-4 to UTC’s Gerdes, which led the Bisons to losing their lead and setting the score at 1-1. Uribe, on the fourth line, was able to get the lead back for Lipscomb with a win from his three-set match against Bustamante. Uribe lost the first set...
by Grant Ledgister | Feb 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb has defended its home court well this season. The Bisons held again with an 86-77 victory over Jacksonville University Saturday at Allen Arena. The game started out with the fast pace and intensity that is customary to a Bisons team that leads the ASUN in points per game, and the team jumped out to an early four-point lead. It looked like Lipscomb (20-4, 11-0 ASUN) might cruise to another victory. The Dolphins (11-15, 4-7 ASUN) had other plans. Jacksonville would quickly tie the game up again. The Bisons tried to consistently change the lineup but could not find one that allowed them to open the half up. “We couldn’t get any real rhythm and make a run to extend the lead,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “They were playing well; I felt like we just had to keep trying different combinations to see what would work the best.” From then on, the half was a back-and-forth affair, one that consisted of a total of 15 lead changes and five ties that lasted for over four-and-a-half minutes of game time. Near the end of a frustrating half for the Bisons, senior guard Garrison Mathews committed a technical foul directly after senior forward Eli Pepper had committed a personal. Jacksonville had the game tied up again after four free throws. Mathews, the leading scorer in the ASUN conference, had an otherwise quiet night by his standards. The Dolphins were able to keep him under control, as he shot 5-of-11 and totaled 16 points. Lipscomb jumped out to an eight-point lead coming out of the second half. The Bisons would never...
by Russell Vannozzi | Feb 8, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Lipscomb men’s basketball team has always been known for its offense, dating back to the Don Meyer NAIA days in the 1980s and 90s. But this season, it’s been the team’s defense that has turned close games into blowouts. Lipscomb’s 92-55 victory over North Florida Wednesday night was the team’s largest margin of victory in its ASUN history. “That’s the most underrated part of our team,” Lipscomb junior Michael Buckland said. “Our experience helps. We know the tendencies of our conference opponents. It’s just executing scouting reports and going out there and playing.” KenPom.com ranks Lipscomb as the nation’s 14th-best in adjusted defensive efficiency, or points allowed per 100 possessions. The Bisons have allowed just 66 points per game in ASUN play, and they’ve held four conference opponents to less than 60 points. The adjusted defensive efficiency statistic is helpful for gauging the strength of the Lipscomb defense because its high-tempo offense affords opponents more possessions and opportunities to score. The Bisons ranked 316th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency in 2014-15, but they have steadily climbed the rankings since. “We’re known for our offense, but people need to realize that we practice defense a ton,” senior Garrison Mathews said. “If you look at the KenPom rankings and stuff, we’ve improved each year. It’s been great.” The Bisons, who have a +2.8 turnover margin, play with intensity on defense and often force opponents out of their rhythm. North Florida committed 15 turnovers to Lipscomb’s 10, and the Ospreys shot just 34 percent from the floor. “Defense is so much effort and a willingness to do...
