by Logan Butts | Feb 5, 2014 | Sports
It’s the bottom of the ninth inning, the bases are loaded and the game is tied. Or maybe there are five seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the kicker is coming out to give his team the lead. Or perhaps the point guard has the ball in his hands with the final buzzer on the verge of sounding. At the end of a close contest, when an athlete is running on fumes, any edge can make the slightest of difference between winning and losing. If the home team has the privilege of playing in front of a raucous crowd that shakes the stadium, it might be the advantage that provides a victory. The support of fans doesn’t always come to mind before practice, skill and athleticism in the hierarchy of winning attributes for an athletic team, but in a hard fought battle where both teams are evenly matched, a rocking home field advantage could make a huge impact. Lipscomb senior T.J. Ojehomon saw a distinct lack of fan support, especially from students, when he started attending athletic events on campus. Being a former athlete himself, he knew that peers cheering you on while competing can have a crucial impact. Ojehomon also knew that even though his playing days were over, he wanted to make an impact on Lipscomb athletics somehow. Thus, Stampede, Lipscomb’s student fan organization, was born. “My sophomore year I got the opportunity to produce a video in order to promote Running of the Bison,” Ojehomon said. “Then that led to another opportunity to do on-court entertainment, being the guy that gets people involved during media...
by Jesica Parsley | Jan 26, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Since making her debut on Dec. 14, redshirt sophomore Danay Fothergill has set the A-Sun record for most points in a game and brought home the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week award once. Fothergill received the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week award Jan. 20. and posted her career high of 34 points against Mercer Jan. 11. Fothergill has averaged 31 points in the last three games. “Knowing I need to attack the basket, knowing I need to get to the free-throw line and hitting open shots is how I scored those points and got in the rhythm,” Fothergill said. Fothergill transferred from Western Kentucky for the spring semester last year. By NCAA rule, she had to sit out one year of game play. She came out ready in her first game back scoring 19 against Jacksonville State. Even though she was practicing, Fothergill says she learned the most from watching the games on the bench. “I was watching the games, and I was learning from them so I would change my behaviors in practice to how game situations were handled,” Fothergill said. “It’s kind of like I got to see each play and mentally change the outcome.” Fothergill has stepped into many roles for the Lady Bisons recently including point guard. Fothergill sees her role as being a leader wherever Coach Brown needs her. “I’m trying to not only be a scoring leader but a vocal leader too, and trying to make my teammates better everyday is what I’m really trying to focus on,” Fothergill said. The Lady Bisons have only won three games and are still looking...
by Carter Sanderson | Jul 19, 2013 | Sports
Since the close of last season, the Lady Bisons basketball team has worked diligently to improve the program with a batch of fresh faces both on the court and on the sideline. Greg Brown, in his second year as the women’s head coach, has made numerous changes to the roster by letting some people go and signing several true freshman, as well as commit Chandler Cooper, a transfer from the University of Florida. “Chandler was a Top 50 kid coming out of high school,” Brown said. “She just brings a different level of competitiveness and a different level of skills.” Cooper’s parents went to Lipscomb, and her father played for the Bisons during his time as a student. The team has spent a good deal of time together over the summer months. “The summer rule has been great for us,” Brown said. “Being able to work out our players was huge. They were able to hear our voice and it also allowed them to be around each other.” The NCAA has made a new rule allowing coaches to spend time and coach their players during the summer. They have also made it acceptable for every player to work summer camps. “Camp has helped our players see the different roles, and we were able to teach the culture,” Brown said. “I can’t imagine getting into this in August.” Despite all the changes this program is going through, senior Jess Reece, one of the few returners for the Bisons, will be a familiar face to all. Being one of only two players on the current roster that has been here since...
by Cory Woodroof | Jun 17, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb athletics jumped the hurdle of the NCAA’s APRs last week, with each team having the necessary grades to carry on business as usual. The NCAA’s Academic Progress Rates are assessed each term and pinpoint low academic scores for all NCAA athletes under scholarship. Any team that reaches the point of scoring a 925 or under can incur scholarship loss. Scoring below a 900 can warrant a multitude of other penalties. Lipscomb athletics passed the reports, with no team scoring below a 940. For the second year in a row, women’s tennis led the school with a score of 1000 – the highest obtainable score. The program has had the same score of 1000 since the 2008-2009 report. Below is a chart showing the APRs of all Lipscomb teams, comparing them to last year’s reports. Visit the NCAA APR’s website for a complete history of Lipscomb’s APRs, as well as other NCAA team reports. TEAM 2011-2012 APR 2010-2011 APR Baseball 940 945 Men’s Basketball 949 975 Men’s Cross Country 986 985 Men’s Golf 941 939 Men’s Soccer 953 970 Men’s Tennis 992 991 Men’s Indoor Track 967 980 Men’s Outdoor Track 978 980 Softball 984 971 Women’s Basketball 987 991 Women’s Cross Country 997 992 Women’s Golf 991 992 Women’s Soccer 970 964 Women’s Tennis 1000 1000 Women’s Indoor Track 992 990 Women’s Outdoor Track 992 990 Women’s Volleyball 989...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 1, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball team played their only exhibition game of the season on Thursday against Freed Hardeman, defeating the Lions 99-84 in a match-up that served as a preview for the upcoming season. This was the 99th meeting between the Lipscomb and Freed Hardeman men’s basketball teams. Former NAIA rivals, the Bisons now lead the Lions 76-23 in the series. The Bisons have played the Lions in an exhibition game every year since entering the NCAA (excluding the 2010-2011 season). Redshirt freshmen center Stephen Hurt led the Bisons in scoring and rebounds with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He also had two assists and was six for seven on free-throws. Hurt believes that the Bisons were dominant on the offensive side of the ball. “I thought we played a really good game offensively. We’ve been working on our offense since we started practice. I think it’s working really good.” Hurt said. Hurt also believes that the team still has plenty of room to grow as the season progresses. “Defensively, we’ve got a lot to fix, but I think, you know, it’s the first game of the season and we can’t expect too much,” Hurt said. “It will come together as the season goes along.” Junior center Oscar Garcia scored the first two points of the game and led the team in assists with 4. Senior Deonte Alexander followed Hunt in scoring with 17 points. Sophomore forwards Malcom and Martin Smith both had 11 points, as did freshmen guard J.C. Hampton, who made three 3-pointers in the game. Junior guard Khion Sankey had 10 points and two assists....