Saturday, November 12, 2011

Bisons on the Air

Radio: WPRT-FM 102.5 The Game (Jonathan Seamon, play-by-play; Justin Seamon, color analyst; Craig Hartline, studio host)

Online Video: ASun.TV (Lipscomb Sports Network audio feed)

The Game

The Lipscomb Bisons host former Atlantic Sun foe and current Big South Conference member Gardner-Webb Sunday evening at 7:15.  A win for the Bisons gives them a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2006-07 season and for only the second time since moving to the NCAA.

Gardner-Webb leads the all-time series 8-7.  The teams met twice a year from the 2000-01 to 2007-08 seasons with the exception of the 2002-03 season when the squads didn’t play.  Lipscomb is 4-2 in Allen Arena against Gardner-Webb and has won the last four meetings in Allen.

Lipscomb defeated Fort Valley State 96-53 at home Friday.  Senior Justin Glenn paced the Bisons with 16 points on 7-of-7 shooting.  Also in double figures for the Bisons were guard Zavion Williams with 14, guard Deonte Alexander with 12, guard Robert Boyd with 11 and guard Carter Sanderson with 10.  

Gardner-Webb is coming off a 65-44 loss at Clemson Friday night. The game was tied at halftime, but Clemson held a 36-15 second half advantage. Gardner-Webb was led by Laron Buggs with 14 points and seven rebounds.  The Bulldogs shot a cool 31.1 percent connecting on 14 field goals in 45 attempts.

Quick Hits

• With Friday’s victory against Fort Valley State, Lipscomb improved to 10-1 in home openers in Allen Arena and moved to 12-0 at home in regular season games against teams that are not in Division I.
• Friday’s 43-point win was Lipscomb’s largest since defeating Oakland City 121-54 (67 points) on Nov. 15, 2008.
• The A-Sun coaches selected Jordan Burgason to the preseason All-Atlantic Sun Team.
• Allen Arena’s court will be named after long-time coach Don Meyer in a ceremony on Dec. 3.
• Last season, Burgason sank an average of 2.8 three-pointers per contest, which led the A-Sun. His 84 total three-point field goals ranked second only to North Florida's Parker Smith (90). His .418 three-point percentage was fifth-best in the league.
• The Bisons have posted a winning record in A-Sun play in seven-straight seasons, which dates back to the 2004-05 season. Over that time, Lipscomb has only once failed to reach double-digit conference wins (2007-08) when they posted a 9-7 league mark.
• Lipscomb must replace several key players from last season's squad with the departure of Adnan Hodzic, Josh Slater, Brandon Brown and Brandon Barnes. The quartet accounted for 63.1 percent of the team's points last season and 58.2 percent of the rebounding.
• Head Coach Scott Sanderson is the second-longest tenured coach in the A-Sun as he enters his 13th season as Bisons Head Coach.  He’s two wins shy of 200 at Lipscomb.
• Burgason hit seven three pointers in three contest last year becoming the first A-Sun player to perform the feat since Troy’s Bobby Dixon in the 2004-05 season.

Poll Action
Lipscomb was selected by the A-Sun coaches and media to finish sixth in the conference preseason poll. The Bisons were one vote shy of Mercer in the coaches’ poll for fifth place.  Belmont was picked to win the league in both polls.