By Tennie Sumague
EBC New York Bureau
NEW YORK (Eagle News) – The Lipscomb Bisons, a Mid-major NCAA Division I team from the Atlantic Sun Conference, rallied in the final eight minutes to shock the Wichita State Shockers 71-64 in the first semifinal game of the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
Down by 11, the Bisons erupted on a 21-3 run, including a 14-0 run in the final three minutes of play. Their stifling defense forced the Shockers to miss their final 10 shots, silencing a heavily rowdy Wichita State fan base that rocked basketball’s ‘Mecca.’
“I thought defensively, we made no mistakes and we forced tough shots and got first-shot rebounds,” said Lipscomb Head Coach, Casey Alexander. “Offensively we capitalized and [the] guys made big shots. I won’t say we got great shots and we didn’t have turnovers. We got ourselves a shot and guys made big ones.”
Garrison Mathews led the way for Lipscomb with 34 points, including a crucial 3-pointer with 1:10 minutes remaining. Mathews’ bucket broke a 64-64 tie, securing the lead for the Bisons in the final seconds.
A private university situated in Nashville, Tennessee, Lipscomb made national headlines last season in its first NCAA tournament appearance, nearly upsetting the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels in the first round. Tennessee has two notable college basketball programs in the nation — University of Tennessee Volunteers and the Memphis Tigers, where former NBA All-Star Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway is the head coach. With their run at this year’s NIT, Lipscomb is proving to be known as an elite college basketball program.
“I think people should know us now, winning [the Atlantic Sun] conference last year, playing UNC, pretty close until the end,” Mathews explained. “And this year, we’re still playing, we’re one of four teams still playing after the first two games of the Final Four from March Madness. So anytime that a team is playing in late March or early April, it’s a pretty big deal. [We] are a great team and people can finally see that Lipscomb is a basketball school now.”
The Bisons will face the Texas Longhorns in Thursday’s championship game. The Longhorns routed in-state Big 12 Conference rival and 2017 tournament champions, Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs 58-44 in the second semifinal game.
(Eagle News Service)