by Aaron Schmelzer | Feb 28, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Allen Arena hosted another exciting game on Thursday night as the Bisons’ basketball team topped Florida Gulf Coast University 92-71 with the help of sharp 3-point shooting. From the tip-off, the Eagles of FGCU scored two points to lead 2-0, but the Bisons answered, scoring six straight three-pointers. From there, Lipscomb never looked back, leading by 20 at the half. Bisons head coach Casey Alexander said that the shooting helped lead the team to victory. “We shot the ball great the whole night, and making our first six was a huge lift for us…confidence wise, and we held the lead from there,” Alexander said. In the second half, the Bisons cooled off, but they stayed consistent and continued to be aggressive, take shots and most importantly, make the shots. In total, Lipscomb scored fifteen three’s, six from junior forward Martin Smith, one from senior guard/forward Khion Sankey, three from freshman guard Josh Williams and three from redshirt freshman guard J.C. Hampton. Martin Smith and Hampton tied for 21 points to lead the team. Junior forward Malcolm Smith and sophomore guard Talbott Denny also scored double digits with 20 points and 11, respectively. As good as the shooting was, Alexander said that the perimeter shooting was not necessarily part of the plan on Thursday. “We just took the shots that came to us,” Alexander said. “We didn’t come out here trying to shoot a lot of three’s; that wasn’t really part of the game plan.” FGCU responded to Lipscomb’s shooting, as junior guard Brett Comer lead the charge with 27 points. It was not enough, however. The Eagles, over the course of the game, turned...
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 Bridgette Begle | Jan 17, 2014 | News Slider
Bisons upped their conference record to 2-5 with their 88-83 win against Kennesaw State Thursday night. With defense as a focus for the team throughout the week of practice, the men came out of the game with 17 offensive rebounds and 20 defensive rebounds, sophomore Talbott Denny pulling down ten on his own. “Defense, defense, defense. We didn’t work anything on offense,” redshirt freshman J.C. Hampton said. Hampton led the team with 22 points followed by junior Malcolm Smith with 21 points. Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Week Josh Williams had a night worthy of his award, scoring 19 with two steals. “As a freshman you go in there doing what the coach expects you to do and just find a way to help the team,” Williams said. “You never know when you’re going to be put in a situation to step up, you just have to be ready for that.” The Bisons started slow in the first few minutes of the game but kicked it into gear before the half. As the halftime buzzer sound, Hampton sent up a three-pointer that hit nothing but net, tying the score at 45. The game was a fight to the finish with the lead changing 15 times until the Bisons secured the win with Hampton’s layup with under a minute to go making the score 85-81. The Bisons take on Mercer Saturday at 4 p.m. in Allen Arena. The Bears are currently tied with Florida Gulf Coast for first in the conference, both teams sitting at a 5-1 in conference play. “In a game like Mercer, they’re a good team, but there...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 21, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
By Logan Butts and Aaron Schmelzer In round two of the 2013 Battle of the Boulevard, the Belmont Bruins topped the visiting Bisons, winning 94-64. The game started with an 8-0 run by Belmont, and Talbott Denny scored the first points for the Bisons with a three. With 14:37 left in the first half, the lead was in favor of the Bruins, 15-6. By halftime, their lead had increased to 47-26. A steal and breakaway layup from the Bruins’ J.J. Mann gave Belmont the momentum heading into the the half. Malcolm Smith opened the second half with six consecutive points for the Bisons. However, any momentum gained from Smith’s run was erased with a two-handed slam from the Bruins’ Craig Bradshaw to make the score 58-34. Belmont would later seal its second ‘Battle’ win of the season. “They were a significantly better team than they were the first time that we played,” Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander said. The down-the-street rivals last played Nov. 8, a game that Belmont won, 87-83. “Belmont’s such a rhythm team, and when things are going their way, they’re literally about as good as anybody,” Alexander said. The loss for the Bisons dropped their record to 2-3 on the season. Malcolm Smith stepped up for the Bisons, nearly posting a double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds. J.C. Hampton paced the Bisons, scoring the most points on the night with 16. “J.C.’s a good player, and he’s going to be a good player,” Alexander said of the redshirt freshman point guard. Evan Bradds was the leading scorer and rebounder for Belmont with 19 and...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 16, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Coach Casey Alexander and his Bisons basketball squad have officially earned the respect of one of the SEC’s regular hoops contenders. After Monday’s rebounding win against an impressive Oakland City, the men’s basketball team traveled down the road to Vanderbilt to play their first of two non-conference games against SEC teams this season (a trip to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs awaits on Dec. 14). Despite losing 80-69, Lipscomb put up a valiant effort against a tough Commodores team, with both teams giving the spectators at Memorial Gymnasium a high-flying contest of buzzer-beating threes, big dunks and booming momentum swings. From the first minutes in, Vandy looked to be setting their own pace for the game with an early 9-2 lead at around the 16 minute mark. However, the Bisons quickly made big plays of their own to whittle down the margin. As the half continued, the Bisons and Commodores looked to be evenly matched. Vanderbilt led by 3 at the half. For the second half, foul trouble continued to be costly for the Bisons, with many impact players close to fouling out as the minutes went on. Even through the fouls, Lipscomb kept up with Vandy, keeping things interesting until the game’s final stretch. During which, the Commodores began to build on a tone-setting lead, eventually securing their second win of the season. Redshirt freshman J.C. Hampton continues to be a difference maker for the Bisons, posting a team-best 21 points and 5 assists, along with 5 rebounds. Senior Khion Sankey had 15 points for the evening, while sophomore Talbott Denny led the team in rebounding with...
