Lipscomb baseball sets eyes on A-Sun Championship with No. 5 FGCU

After a season-ending sweep of Northern Kentucky last weekend, Lipscomb’s baseball team is primed for taking on the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championship. The Bisons are in Fort Myers, Florida, where they will take on No. 5 seeded Florida Gulf Coast. This sweep of the Norse last weekend at Northern Kentucky’s Bill Aker Complex boosted team spirits heading into the A-Sun, according to Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand. “After a tough weekend against Stetson last week and then another one on Tuesday, it is good to see us get back on track with these three wins,” Forehand said. Lipscomb grabbed the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after Stetson lost to tournament hosts FGCU in the final weekend of the regular season. The Bisons have won a record-breaking 35 games in the regular season. Going back to the NAIA days, no Lipscomb team has matched that victory total. Forehand said he has hopes for the Bisons to slug it out for their second A-Sun tournament championship. He also said that in so doing, the team could make the NCAA tournament for only the second time in school history (the last being in 2008). The coach said the Bisons’ bats and pitching arms were kept plenty busy — and looked plenty good — in completing that sweep last Saturday. “It is fun to watch us when we are attacking with all facets of our offense and the pitching staff is throwing as well as they are,” Forehand said after the 7-1 victory. The Bisons will now open the tournament at 6 p.m. Wednesday night at Swanson Stadium. It’s a tough task...

Lipscomb softball splits doubleheader against Western Kentucky

It was a tale of two games for the Lipscomb softball team on Tuesday afternoon. After dropping the first game 9-2, the Lady Bisons bounced back winning 3-1 in game two against Western Kentucky at Draper Diamond at Smith Stadium. In game one, the Lady Toppers opened the score in the third inning, but Lipscomb tied the score in the bottom of third. Junior outfielder Brittany Elmore hit a single to right field, then stole second before junior infielder Baylee Williams drove her home on a single up the middle. Things began to unravel for the Lady Bisons in the fifth inning as the Hilltoppers capitalized on two hits, two walks and two hit batters for five runs. Elmore scored the only other run in the bottom of the fifth on an error. She also stole three bases, bringing her season total to 27. The Lady Toppers went on to score two more runs in the sixth before adding their ninth and final run in the last inning. Junior Tanner Sanders was accredited with the loss. She surrendered seven runs, five hits, walked seven and struck out two batters in five innings of work. Sophomore McCarley Thomas gave up two hits and two earned runs in two innings of relief. Following the first game, Lipscomb coach Kristin Ryman stressed that the team needed the leaders to step up. “Leadership’s a big thing for us,” Ryman said. “We’ve got to play with a little bit more fire. It starts with our seniors — them bringing that fire and leadership everyday in practice and then bringing it on game day.” In game two, senior outfielder Brianne Welch opened the third inning with...

Bison hoops defeat Northern Kentucky in A-Sun quarterfinals

The Lipscomb men’s basketball team is heading to the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference semifinals after defeating Northern Kentucky 76-73 in overtime at the quarterfinals Tuesday night in Regents Hall. The Bisons led by three points in the last 14 seconds left in regulation with a chance to make the lead five at the free throw line. Both free throws were missed, but Northern Kentucky’s Tyler White hit a three to tie the game at 68, sending the game into overtime. White hit another three in overtime to put the Norse up 73-70. The Bisons responded with two free throws from sophomore guard J.C. Hampton and graduate student Chad Land, as well as a jumper from sophomore guard Josh Williams to seal the win. Senior forward Martin Smith led the way for the Bisons with 13 points. Williams added 12 points. Northern Kentucky finished with the overall record of 13-17. Lipscomb improved to 14-16. The Bisons advance to take on North Florida Thursday night in Jacksonville. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...

Bison hoops finish strong against Kennesaw State on senior night

The Lipscomb men’s basketball team closed out the 2014-15 season with a 94-75 win over Atlantic Sun Conference foe Kennesaw State Saturday morning in Allen Arena. With a solid start to the first half, the Bisons carried their attacking play with a 47-32 lead as sophomore J.C. Hampton executed a lay up. “I thought for the most part we were really solid — I was proud of their effort and I felt like we really played to win,” Lipscomb’s head coach Casey Alexander said. “We played together, which may sound simple, but things haven’t been going our way and sometimes that’s hard to do.” The Bisons controlled the game as sophomore Josh Williams finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. “The team came together tonight more than we ever have done this season,”  Williams said. “It was great to see a lot of guys contribute to this win. “Rebounding was on point tonight and the guys did really well with their offense but also defense.” Senior Martin Smith came out to the court with an ora of determination for senior night. Smith added 12 points onto the score board. Kennesaw State’s Yonel Brown led all scorers with a 22 points, along with a pair of treys and six free throws. The Bisons recognized graduate student Chad Lang and seniors Chad Johnson and Smith during a pregame ceremony. “It’s so weird that this is the night we wait for during these four years,”  Smith said. “I am so grateful for my time here and it was a great game — kind of a bittersweet. I’m really looking forward to the...

Lady Bisons lose in close matchup against Stetson

The Lady Bisons lost to the Stetson Hatters 82-77 this Saturday in Allen Arena. The pace set by Stetson proved too much for the Lady Bisons. The Hatters led the entire game, never letting up their energy and intensity. Junior Danay Fothergill led the Bisons, scoring 24 points. Fothergill sunk a total of five threes in the far corners of the court. She also made seven out of eight points from free throws. Lipscomb head coach Greg Brown encouraged smart fouls, but Stetson took advantage by making 83 percent of their free throws in the first half. With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Lipscomb was revived by a technical foul against freshman Emily Eubank. After Eubank made one for two, Fothergill and sophomore Chandler Cooper made threes and brought the score to 23-20. The ladies almost closed the gap by halftime, with a score of 35-33. The beginning of the second half resembled the beginning of the first half. Despite Fothergill’s confidence in her free throws, Lipscomb continued to fall behind. With 11 minutes left, Stetson was back up 64-48. Lipscomb pushed back in the last four minutes to bring the score up to 74-67. Junior Ashley Southern contributed 17 points to Lipscomb’s total. The Bisons pushed to the very last second. The game ended with multiple fouls, but Lipscomb failed to come back and take the victory. The Lady Bisons are headed to Northern Kentucky for a matchup with the Norse on Saturday, Feb. 7. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...