by Cory Woodroof | Nov 12, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The men’s basketball team secured their first win of the season after last Friday’s Belmont loss in a 73-55 victory over the Maryville Saints, making their overall record 1-1. The Bisons gained early momentum, going on an 8-2 run with 17:03 remaining. The Saints kept things close for a good deal of the half, but the Bisons went into the locker room with a 43-24 lead. Freshman J.C. Hampton sank three 3-point baskets in first half, adding into his 13 point total. From 15:35-7:19 in the second half, the Bisons went on a 14-0 run, ended by a jump shot from Maryville’s Adam Whitlock. Hampton said he felt that the team’s early efforts and rebounding helped tremendously. “We came out to a great start,” Hampton said. “Coach [Sanderson] really challenged us on the board to see if we could out-rebound by +15. I think we did a great job, especially Khion [Sankey], of accepting that challenge. I felt good coming out with a great start.” Sankey, a junior, led the Bisons in rebounds with 12, while senior Deonte Alexander led in scoring with 16. On top of leading the team in assists with 4, sophomore Martin Smith scored 13 points. After tonight’s win, the team will travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., to play Gardner-Webb on Wednesday. After their Nov. 23 away game against Ole Miss, the Bisons will return to Allen Arena on Nov. 26 to take on Murray...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 9, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball team fell short of claiming the 131st Battle of the Boulevard in an 89-60 loss to the Belmont Bruins. Senior Deonte Alexander led the Bisons in scoring with 14 points (including four 3-pointers). Junior Khion Sankey led the team in rebounds and assists with 7 and 4 respectively, while gaining 11 points of his own. Alexander said that he feels the team is going to need to fix tonight’s mistakes going into the rest of the season. “We’ve got to get back to the drawing board tomorrow. They beat us on a lot of the things we’ve been practicing on,” Alexander said. “We turned the ball over a lot tonight, and we’ve just got to take care of the ball and play solid defense.” Alexander thanked the fans for their attendance of tonight’s game and asked for their continued support throughout the season. Redshirt sophomore Carter Sanderson, who had 13 points on the night, also noted his appreciation to the fans, expressing the importance of the crowd’s energy. “I really appreciate all the support. It was a great crowd,” Sanderson said. “I thought they were energized and loud, and we fed off them a lot.” The Bisons will play the final “Boulevard” game of the season against the Bruins on Dec. 4 at Belmont. Photos and a full-game recap can be viewed below. Photo Credit: Whitney Jarreld Please upgrade your...
by Ariel Jones | Nov 8, 2012 | Sports
Coaches, players, cheerleaders, fans – it’s time for Battle of the Boulevard. Nov. 9 marks the 131st rivalry game between the Lipscomb Bisons and Belmont Bruins men’s basketball teams. The game takes place Friday night in Allen Arena at 6:30 p.m. There’s a lot of history between the two schools, dating back to Dec. 11, 1953 – the first time the schools faced off. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that an actual rivalry was born with coaches Don Meyer (Lipscomb) and Rick Byrd (Belmont). Lipscomb currently leads Belmont 73-57 in the series. Louis Nelms, the director of student involvement, has been to eight “battles” so far. “My favorite part of the Battle of the Boulevard would be the environment,” Nelms said. “As a small school, our athletic teams often don’t get the kind of support or attention that other schools that are maybe in bigger conferences do. The Battle of the Boulevard is one of the few experiences where Lipscomb gets to feel a little bit different than usual.” Nelms said that while this specific game may not be as big of an event as other collegiate sporting rivalries, the Battle of the Boulevard still deserves national attention. “We are playing a team that is consistently getting national attention, and it is fun to have a real rival,” Nelms said. “It’s not Duke vs. UNC or Alabama vs. Auburn, but it is one of the best sporting events in the country because it is one of those games where the records are thrown out and anyone can win.” How deep is the rivalry now compared to years before? Since being in two different conferences,...
by Hunter Patterson | Apr 14, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
“Goals are important. Having a vision is important. Commitment to the process is more important,” Butler men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens told the crowd at the fourth annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence on April 14. And Stevens knows the significance behind not just winning, but figuring out what it takes to win. Character, Commitment to Details, Performance and Results – those are the levels of Stevens’ pyramid he has used each of the five years of his head coaching career at Butler to help his players remember to keep their priorities straight. In those five years, he’s managed to get his team two Final Four appearances. “You have to simplify things, but have to do a lot of work to before you can simplify things,” the two-time Horizon Coach of the Year said. With guidance from two notable coaches, Thad Matta and Todd Licklighter, Stevens learned he had to “think like a head coach every day,” and to “just be yourself.” On the bottom level of the pyramid, Stevens listed character as the most important attribute. “You can be humble, but you need to balance that with courage,” Stevens said. He said there have been seasons where the team has lost players to the NBA draft or graduation, and the younger players were not ready to “take the reins.” While the players may not have been physically or mentally prepared, near the season’s end, Stevens said the same players were playing with a courage that allowed them to “not care about anything and give everything.” The second level is preparation and attention to detail. “In basketball, we look at...
