by Brianne Welch | Jan 18, 2014 | Sports
More injuries plagued the Bisons Saturday as they fell to the no.1 team in the Atlantic Sun Conference 87-66. The Bison’s were short two starting players entering the game against Mercer. Sophomore guard Talbott Denny and junior forward Martin Smith were both out with minor ankle injuries. Smith is the Bison’s leading scorer this season with 301 points and averaging 16.7 points per game. Saturday was also the first time Smith has not started in 58 games, but redshirt freshman J.C. Hampton is encouraged that his teammates will soon be back on the court. “I’m pretty sure Martin and Talbott should be back,” Hampton said. “Just minor ankle injuries, so hopefully we can get them back.” Several other injuries this season have prevented the Bison’s from being at full strength. With redshirt freshman center Charles Smith and freshman forward Brett Wishon also out, the team is very guard heavy. This caused the Bison’s to struggle even more against Mercer who had a significant height advantage. “It was a little challenge to us as we’re all guards,” Hampton said. “It’s a little hard scoring and on both ends of the floor.” Despite the challenges during the game, senior guard Khion Sankey is very proud of the way his team fought. “We played extremely hard,” Sankey said. “I felt like we got better as a team today, and I think everybody stepped up. Everybody took on the challenge.” Sankey led the team with 19 points and five three pointers during the game. The Bison’s have a week off to rest before facing conference opponent Northern Kentucky in a road matchup. The...
by Cory Woodroof | Jan 5, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
In the Lipscomb men’s basketball team’s first game back in Allen Arena Saturday since their early December win over Tennessee Tech, the Bisons, now in conference play, kept it close with the visiting North Florida Ospreys, but despite a late run by Lipscomb, the Ospreys left victorious, 78-73. The Bisons are still searching for their first Atlantic-Sun win of the season. A staunch first half gave no wiggle room for either team to gain any momentum, with junior twins Martin and Malcolm Smith turning in strong efforts for the Bisons. North Florida led by one at the half. In the second half, the power struggle continued until North Florida went on a 10-0 run at 6:07 to take the game’s first commanding lead, 68-58, at 3:31 to go. The Bisons fought back with a flurry of baskets, narrowing the Osprey’s lead to two with the score sitting at 73-71 with a little over 30 seconds to go. However, the Ospreys held on for the win. Martin Smith led the Bisons in points with 20, with Malcolm Smith not too far behind with 18 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Josh Williams had 13 points and seven rebounds. When asked about the back-and-forth nature of the game, Martin Smith referenced the two different runs that each team went on. “You know, basketball is a game of runs,” Smith said. “We’ve just got to stick with what we’re doing.” Looking ahead to a quick turnaround for Monday’s game at home against fellow A-Sun member Jacksonville, Martin Smith says that consistency will be a key for success. “Our effort was there. We’ve just...
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,...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 31, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
The Casey Alexander era of men’s basketball offered a sampling of what’s to come in Allen Area Thursday night as the Bisons posted up a 95-83 exhibition win over the visiting Freed-Hardeman Lions. The Bisons and Lions’ pre-season match-up truly defined the phrase “back-and-forth,” as most of the game was a power struggle to see who could hold on to their low-margin lead. For most of the first half, Freed Hardeman had a small leg up on the Bisons, but Lipscomb managed to use the final minutes effectively to enter halftime with a 50-45 lead over the Lions. The second half quickly began to mirror the first, and it wasn’t until junior Martin Smith got hot from the arch (sinking four 3-pointers) that the Bisons truly began to run away with the game. Martin Smith led the Bisons in scoring with 23, while redshirt freshman J.C. Hampton had 20. Sophomore J.J. Butler led the team in assists with 7, while junior Malcom Smith topped rebounds with 7. He also had 14 points on the night. Hampton expressed his enthusiasm in the team returning to the court for the season. “It just felt good being back out with the team, playing hard,” Hampton said. He credited the team’s defensive play for helping lift the team in the second half. Next week presents a new challenge for the Bisons as the annual Battle of the Boulevard makes it way to Lipscomb’s campus to open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 8. Hampton says that the team will need to continue to focus on defense as the Bruins await. Check below for...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 1, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
With only two games remaining in the regular season, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team was looking to enter the Atlantic-Sun Tournament with two strong home wins. Thursday night, the Bisons accomplished part of that task. Lipscomb defeated the University of Jacksonville Dolphins (14-16) 77-73, which evens the teams out at 1-1 (with the Dolphins winning the first match-up of the season). After a strong start by Lipscomb (the Bisons were up 17-6 by 14:10), the Dolphins inched their way back at the game, gaining their first lead at 5:49. The Bisons entered into halftime with a slim 36-35 lead. In the second half, the two teams went back and forth for the lead, with the Bisons taking the final lead at 8:36. Lipscomb fought off a close margin towards the half’s close to walk away with the conference win. Sophomore Martin Smith led the Bisons in scoring with 24. Freshman Stephen Hurt followed with 20 points, and led the team in rebounds with nine. Junior Khion Sankey added 12 points and eight rebounds. Smith said he believes that the victory over the Dolphins will help come next week’s trip to Macon, Ga., to take part in the A-Sun tournament. “It’s a big win for us going into the conference tournament, “ Smith said. “This is a little confidence booster for us.” Smith said he hopes the team’s second-half play can be carried over to Saturday night’s final season game against North Florida. Tip off for that game is at 8:15 p.m. in Allen...
