Bisons make history, advance to NIT title game

Every basketball player grows up dreaming of winning a big game in Madison Square Garden. On Tuesday night, the Lipscomb men’s basketball team did just that.

Logan Butts | Lipscomb Athletics | 

News - NIT semifinals

Garrison Mathews led the Bisons with 34 points in the Bisons' 71-64 victory over Wichita State to advance to the NIT championship game.

The Bisons mounted a late second-half comeback in the NIT semifinals to take down Wichita State 71-64 off the back of Garrison Mathews’ 34 points.

Lipscomb is headed to the NIT Championship game, a first in ASUN history, after a 14-0 run to close out the win.

Mathews’ brilliant postseason run continues as he became the first player with back-to-back 30 point outings in the NIT since 2011.

The senior scored the go-ahead three-pointer with just over one minute left in the action, putting the exclamation point on a 21-3 Lipscomb run. The Bisons held Wichita State without a bucket in the final eight minutes.

Perhaps the most crucial bucket of the 21-3 run came with just over three minutes as fifth-year senior Nate Moran nailed a triple, his only bucket of the game, cutting the Shockers lead to four.

Senior forward Rob Marberry joined Mathews in double-figures with 14 points, while fellow senior big man Eli Pepper was a monster on the glass by grabbing 15 rebounds.

Pepper joined the 1,000 rebound club after his second board of the game. He is the first Bison in the Division I era to pull down that many rebounds, placing tied for third in ASUN history.

Junior point guard Kenny Cooper dished out 10 assists and swiped three steals, both team highs.

Lipscomb led 35-30 at halftime after coming out of the gates strong.

Mathews scored 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game to pass North Florida’s Dallas Moore for second place on the ASUN’s all-time scoring list.

Wichita State answered with a hot second half, going on a 16-3 run to take a commanding 11-point lead with eight minutes left to play.

Lipscomb (29-7) will face the winner of TCU and Texas in the NIT final on Thursday 7 p.m.

Wichita State (22-15) was paced by Dexter Dennis with 13 points, while Markis McDuffie added 12 and Samara Haynes-Jones notched 11.

 

HERD NOTES:

  • Lipscomb is the fourth ASUN team to reach a national championship final joining the FGCU women’s basketball in the WNIT, Mercer men’s basketball in the CIT, and FIU in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament.
  • Lipscomb also joins the legendary 1986 squad as the only other group to play in a men’s basketball championship final. The 1986 Bisons won the NAIA national championship.
  • The Bisons are now 2-0 against American Athletic Conference (AAC) teams after taking down SMU 79-73 on the road in November.
  • Pepper and Mathews tied for the team lead with two blocks each. Mathews’ total tied his career high.
  • Wichita State out-rebounded Lipscomb 45-40, but Lipscomb dished out 17 assists to the Shockers’ 10.
  • The Bisons bench notched 17 points to Wichita State’s 11.
  • The Purple and Gold held the Shockers to 35 percent shooting from the field, including 21 percent from behind the arc.
  • Lipscomb scored 14 fastbreak points and 13 points off turnovers, but only four second-chance points.
  • Mathews shot 9-22 from the field, 5-15 from three, and 11-12 from the free throw line.
  • Marberry built on his stellar field goal percentage, shooting 7-9 from the field.
  • The Bisons made 16 of 19 free throws, while Wichita State shot 11-14 from the charity stripe.
  • Lipscomb attempted season-high 33 three’s, with 19 coming in the first half, also a high for a single half.