by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 8, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
One year after winning its first ASUN title, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team has earned a chance to defend its crown. The Bisons (25-6) dominated NJIT in a 78-55 ASUN semifinal victory on Thursday in Allen Arena. That sets up a rubber match with Liberty (27-6) on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT for the ASUN tournament title and a spot in the Big Dance. The game will be televised by ESPN – Lipscomb’s first-ever national television appearance at home. The Bisons topped Florida Gulf Coast 108-96 in last year’s championship, but this time, the big stage is coming to Green Hills. “It’s a big day for our campus, our program and everybody that cares about our school,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. “I’m happy that our players have put themselves in a position to be here and enjoy that moment.” Lipscomb guard Garrison Mathews came out of the gate hot. He scored 10 points in the first four minutes of the contest and finished with 22 total to lead the Bisons. The senior also had nine rebounds and five assists. After Mathews sank a three in the early going, Alexander looked behind the bench to exchange a smile with Lipscomb athletic director Philip Hutcheson. “I turned around and looked at [Hutcheson], and we both knew what the other was thinking,” Alexander said. “[Garrison] can score the basketball, and he does it in pretty impressive fashion. He’s always been able to score, but now he scores a little bit deeper and a little more on the move.” NJIT kept pace with the Bisons thanks to shooting 48 percent in the...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 7, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Just four teams remain in the ASUN tournament, and only two will still be standing after tonight. No. 1 Lipscomb and No. 5 NJIT will battle at Allen Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday, while North Florida and Liberty will clash for the other spot. The two semifinal winners will then meet for the ASUN tournament title on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT (TV: ESPN). The Bisons hold a 7-2 series lead over the Highlanders, but NJIT nearly pulled an upset on Lipscomb’s Senior Night on Feb. 25. Four late free throws from senior Garrison Mathews helped Lipscomb fend off NJIT’s furious second-half comeback attempt, and the Bisons pulled out an 81-77 victory. But on Jan. 16, the two programs met in Newark, New Jersey, and the result was much different. Behind 23 points from Rob Marberry and 17 from Matt Rose, the Bisons cruised to a 70-52 victory over the Highlanders. You can listen to tonight’s game LIVE HERE on Lumination Radio or watch it on ESPN+. BREAKING DOWN THE HIGHLANDERS: NJIT (21-11) finished the regular season on a sour note by losing six of its final eight games. But the Highlanders made up for that by upsetting No. 4 Florida Gulf Coast by a score of 83-78 in Monday’s ASUN quarterfinal in Fort Myers, Florida. Highlander guards Zach Cooks and Diandre Wilson were both outstanding and combined to score 51 points. Big-bodied forward Abdul Lewis, an ASUN first teamer, added 18 points of his own in 37 minutes of action. The victory was NJIT’s first postseason win in program history. The Highlanders joined the ASUN conference for the...
by Mckenzi Harris | Mar 5, 2019 | Galleries
The odds were in favor of the Lipscomb men’s basketball team during Monday night’s ASUN quarterfinal matchup against Kennesaw State. Not only were the Owls without head coach Al Skinner, who recently resigned, but leading scorer Tyler Hooker (19 points per game) also missed the contest after taking an elbow to the face last week. Despite 25 points from Danny Lewis and 18 more from Bobby Parker, the Bisons were able to fend off the pesky No. 8 Owls in an 86-71 victory at Allen Arena. The win propelled Lipscomb (24-6) to the ASUN semifinals, where it will host No. 5 NJIT on Thursday at 7 p.m. Lipscomb guard Kenny Cooper registered a rare triple-double by scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. It was just the second triple-double in the program’s NCAA Division I era — the first came when Josh Slater had 10 points, 12 assists and 10 steals on Feb. 17, 2011 against USC Upstate. Read full story by Russell Vannozzi here. « ‹ of 3 ›...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 5, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
The odds were in favor of the Lipscomb men’s basketball team during Monday night’s ASUN quarterfinal matchup against Kennesaw State. Not only were the Owls without head coach Al Skinner, who recently resigned, but leading scorer Tyler Hooker (19 points per game) also missed the contest after taking an elbow to the face last week. Despite 25 points from Danny Lewis and 18 more from Bobby Parker, the No. 1 Bisons were able to fend off the pesky No. 8 Owls for an 86-71 victory at Allen Arena. The win propelled Lipscomb (24-6) to the ASUN semifinals, where it will host No. 5 NJIT on Thursday at 7 p.m. Lipscomb guard Kenny Cooper registered a rare triple-double by scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. It was just the second triple-double in the program’s NCAA Division I era — the first came when Josh Slater had 10 points, 12 assists and 10 steals on Feb. 17, 2011 against USC Upstate. “I’m really proud of Kenny,” Alexander said. “Our team’s a lot better when he’s aggressive and making plays. He had seven assists at halftime, which is the most impressive part of it to me. That shows that he’s engaged, pushing the tempo and making plays for himself and others.” ASUN Player of the Year and Lipscomb senior Garrison Mathews dropped 26 points and nailed five three-pointers. Fellow senior teammate Rob Marberry finished 8-of-9 from the field in a 16-point effort. “It’s tough to beat us when Rob plays great inside and goes 8-for-9,” Mathews said. “You can go down the list…Eli [Pepper], [Michael] Buckland, Ahsan...
by Russell Vannozzi | Mar 3, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Defeating a team three times in one season is no easy task, but that’s what the Lipscomb men’s basketball team must do if it wants to advance in the ASUN tournament. The No. 1 Bisons play No. 8 Kennesaw State on Monday night at 7 p.m. in Allen Arena. Lipscomb has home-court privileges for the entirety of the ASUN tournament after edging out Liberty (25-6, 14-2 ASUN) for the tiebreaker. “That’s what you work for,” coach Casey Alexander told LipscombSports.com. “I think the hardest thing to do in any sport, and at any level, is to be the best in your league. That’s a long-term measure of success, and our guys have been good for 16 games in the league.” Lipscomb (23-6, 14-2 ASUN) already owns two victories over Kennesaw State after beating them 86-57 on Jan. 21 in Nashville and 83-67 on Feb. 16 in Georgia. Ironically, the only time the two teams have met in the ASUN tourney was when Lipscomb was a No. 1 seed and Kennesaw State was a No. 8 seed in 2010. The Owls squeaked out a 72-69 upset. “It was a completely different time, but we know,” Alexander said. “Anything can happen in a 40-minute game, regardless of seed, and that’s the way we approach it.” BREAKING DOWN THE OWLS Kennesaw State has had a difficult year. The Owls finished the regular season 6-25 overall (3-13 ASUN), and coach Al Skinner recently announced his resignation, effective at the end of the season. But the Owls have the ASUN’s second-leading scorer in junior Tyler Hooker (19.0 PPG) – second only to Mathews (19.8...
