by Erika Thornsberry | Feb 22, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
For the Bisons men’s basketball team, this Friday night started out a little slow, but the end was anything but slow. Conference foe Northern Kentucky traveled to Allen Arena to play the victorious Bisons, who won the conference game 70-66. Northern Kentucky was first to get on the score board, and Bisons head coach Casey Alexander didn’t waste any time pulling out all five of his starters and putting in a fresh five. It didn’t take long after that for junior Malcolm Smith to get two three point plays (two baskets plus free throws) and for the momentum to start shifting in favor of the Bisons. “My teammates were really looking for me. We took advantage of the size mix-match down low,” Malcolm Smith said. “I focused on posting up hard, attacking the basket quick, and when I got to the foul line, knocking them down.” Going into halftime, senior Khion Sankey made a shot right at the buzzer making it 35-29 in favor of Lipscomb. That wasn’t the only big shot of the game as Martin Smith knocked down a 3 pointer with 34.8 seconds left giving the Bisons a 67-63 score. “It was a huge shot,” Malcolm Smith said. “That made it a two possession game. It helped us put the game away.” During time out, Coach Alexander drew a play up, but sometimes, once you’re out on the court, things don’t go exactly as planned. “That’s not the play we drew up, but we improvised well,” Alexander said. “J.C Hampton hit Martin right on the money, and he stepped up and hit the shot. He’s made a...
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 Aaron Schmelzer | Feb 9, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
The Force was strong with the Bisons in Saturday’s game against ETSU in Allen Arena, but not strong enough. Lipscomb Athletics hosted the 6th annual Star Wars night during the Bisons’ game against Eastern Tennessee State University but the team fell 96-88 to the visiting Buccaneers. While the children got pictures with their favorite bounty hunters, Jedi and even Darth Vader, Lipscomb stayed neck-and-neck with the Bucs until about the final three minutes. From the tip-off, freshman guard Josh Williams scored the first three points of the game from the left of the basket. From there, neither team stopped shooting threes. The Buccaneers attempted 15 shots from the arch in the game and made seven. Junior ETSU guard Jalen Riley scored 12 points behind the arc, while scoring 30 in total for the night. The Bisons made 13 of their 34 three-point attempts, finishing with a 38 percent three-point shooting percentage. It was a close game, as the scored had been tied 15 times, and there were 27 lead changes. The Bisons’ scoring slowed and nearly came to a halt in the final minutes as ETSU pulled away with free throws. Head coach Casey Alexander said that although the team kept it close, the Bisons could not get in rhythm or be aggressive. “We never got in a rhythm defensively. We could never get stops together; we could never stop their offensive momentum. “We weren’t necessarily behind in points, but we were never the aggressor out in front out there.” Lipscomb had two players cross the 20 points mark. Junior forward Malcolm Smith lead the team with 27 points. Redshirt...
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 Aaron Schmelzer | Dec 5, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Four Lipscomb Bisons scored in double digits in a 87-79 victory against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Allen Arena on Thursday night. Martin Smith, J.C. Hampton, Josh Williams and Malcolm Smith all broke the double-digit barrier. Junior forward Martin Smith led all scorers, putting up 24 points and going 12 for 14 from the free throw line. “I got to the free throw line, got my rhythm going and kept it going from there,” Martin Smith said. He credited his teammates on the evening’s accomplishments. J.C. Hampton had 19 points and was four for five from behind the arc. The redshirt freshman point guard said that that team wants to keep an up-tempo pace. “We want to play fast the whole game,” Hampton said. “We want to get out as quick as possible and get quick baskets. We practice hard to play fast.” Freshman guard Josh Williams had 20 points, a career-high for the new Bison. Malcolm Smith knocked down 11 points against the Golden Eagles and went four for five from the field. The win moved the Bisons to 4-4, while Tennessee Tech fell to 5-5. The game started out with a couple of fouls on each team, but the pace quickened, and with the fast pace, Lipscomb turned the ball over seven times in the first half, while Tennessee Tech had 11 turnovers. The turnovers lessened as the game went on, but Hampton says that team needs to be a little more careful with the ball. “[We need to] just slow it down a little bit, not being so passive and control the ball a little bit better,...
