The Biggest Stories from 2011

It’s that time of the year again. You know, the end of it. And with the end of the year comes lists! On the front pages of CNN, ABC News, Yahoo! and other news sites there will soon be “The Best of 2011” or “The Biggest from 2011.” At Lumination Network, we opted for the latter. 2011 was a year of surprises. When the year began, we were all shocked by what happened to Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona. In March, Charlie Sheen ranted about “winning” and “Tiger Blood,” capturing the attention of the world…and ending his sitcom career prematurely. But 2011 was also a year of tragedy. On top of Senator Giffords being shot in her home state, one of the largest tsunamis in history hit Japan, which sent three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into meltdown, the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. In April, tornadoes ripped through the states just south of us.There were more than 170 twisters on one day, leading to a death toll of nearly 300. And 2011 was a year of love. In the biggest wedding of our lifetimes, William and Kate got hitched. Prince William, of course, tied the knot with his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, got married outside Westminster Abbey in London on April 29. Over 23 million Americans watched the wedding from their couches. Undoubtedly, though, the biggest story of the year was the death of Osama bin Laden. As most of you remember, bin Laden was killed during a firefight in Pakistan nearly a decade after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and set off patriotic celebrations...

Lipscomb rallies against Memphis, loses in end 85-75

Lipscomb used a late second half run to take the Memphis Tigers down to the wire in an 85-75 loss Monday at the FedExForum. Down 14 with eight minutes to play, Lipscomb (6-7) utilized a 13-2 run accented by a three by freshman Martin Smith to bring the game within three, 73-70, with 4:45 remaining. After the teams exchanged free throws, Memphis’ (6-4) Chris Crawford hit a jumper in the paint and a turnover by Martin led to a three by Will Barton in the left corner to give the Tigers a 79-71 lead with 1:40 remaining. “I thought we competed for the whole game tonight,” said head coach Scott Sanderson. “I thought we did a nice job in executing the scouting report and what we were trying to do both offensively and defensively.” Barton’s basket was three of only seven points Memphis scored off of Lipscomb’s season-low five turnovers.  It was the lowest turnover tally for the Bison since committing five miscues against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 16, 2007. “I thought we did a much better job taking care of the basketball and I felt like that is what kept us in the game with just five turnovers,” Sanderson said. Senior Jordan Burgason and junior Deonte Alexander led Lipscomb with 16 points each.  Both hit four 3-pointers. The Bison were unable to control the hot shooting of the Tigers.  Memphis connected on 63.3 percent of its attempts in the first period and 56.9 percent for the game.  The Tigers scored 44 points in the paint. A three by junior Jacob Arnett and a putback attempt at the buzzer...
Bisons fall to No. 24 Murray State 89-65

Bisons fall to No. 24 Murray State 89-65

Thursday night Lipscomb took on the tough task of handing an undefeated Murray State team their first loss.  However, turnovers and several missed opportunities led to a Murray State win, 89-65. The Bisons turned the ball over 23 times, giving the Racers more than enough opportunities to take control. Freshman Malcolm Smith led the Bisons with 13 points and four rebounds, while Ed Daniel and Ivan Aska from Murray State led all scorers with 16 points each....

Bisons begin road trip with Tennessee Tech, falling in OT 89-87

Sophomore Robert Boyd (23) and junior Deonte Alexander (21) had career scoring highs for the Bisons in an 89-87 overtime loss to Tennessee Tech Saturday night at the Eblen Center in Cookeville. Lipscomb seemed to control the game after taking a 13-point first half lead and was up 38-30 at the break.  Lipscomb shot 50 percent in the opening period but nearly half of Tennessee Tech’s points were off 12 Bison turnovers. Kevin Murphy, the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, and Jud Dillard started to swing the momentum in the Golden Eagle’s direction with several easy baskets throughout the opening part of the second half. Tennessee Tech went on an 18-6 run using five 3-pointers to take a 66-60 advantage with 7:33 to play. “I felt that one stretch in the second half we gave them some baskets in transition with no defense,” said head coach Scott Sanderson. “When we went zone, they stepped up and made some big shots.” Murphy finished with 29 points, all but five coming in the second half.  Dillard had 22 points and made ten free throws. A pair of jumpers by Boyd brought Lipscomb to within one with 3:46 left.  Tech would push the lead back to five points before the Bisons countered with triples by Alexander and Boyd to give Lipscomb the 74-73 lead with 1:25 to play. Two free throws and a layup would put Tennessee Tech back on top by three with under thirty seconds remaining.  Boyd nailed a 3-pointer from the corner in front of Lipscomb’s bench with 14.8 seconds left to tie the game at 77...

Atlantic Sun to replace Belmont with Northern Kentucky – Updated with quotes

The City Paper is reporting that Northern Kentucky University will replace the Belmont Bruins in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Northern Kentucky is currently in the Great Lakes Valley Conference out of NCAA Division II. The school has 15,000 students and is located just outside of Cincinatti. On Thursday afternoon, the Atlantic Sun formally invited NKU to join the A-Sun. Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and athletic director Phil Hutcheson released the following statements. “Lipscomb is pleased to welcome Northern Kentucky University to the Atlantic Sun Conference.  In a conversation with Northern Kentucky University’s President James Votruba I was most impressed with the desire of Northern Kentucky University for high level athletic competition but also for a strong emphasis on the academic success of student athletes. They will the join the schools currently in the Atlantic Sun who are committed to producing ‘Winners for Life.’  Lipscomb looks forward to Northern Kentucky University’s addition to our excellent conference and meeting them in Division I play.” Lipscomb Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson: “On behalf of Lipscomb’s coaches and student-athletes, I would like to welcome Northern Kentucky University to the Atlantic Sun Conference.  The Norse have been in the top echelon of Division II schools over the last several years and they will be a formidable opponent on the fields of play.” Belmont is leaving the Atlantic Sun for the Ohio Valley Conference effective July 1, 2012. The university has expressed interest in joining the OVC the last couple years, however, no position seemed fitting. The Atlantic Sun will have 10 members and have schools in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky. Northern Kentucky, like Lipscomb, does not have a football team. The university’s soccer...