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3/5/2009 - MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sophomores Carry Bisons into Semifinals
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Lipscomb’s quartet of sophomores carried the Bisons past the Campbell Fighting Camels, 82-52, in the final first-round game of the 2009 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Championship from Allen Arena.
Brandon Brown, one of the second-year stars, scored six in a 15-1 run early in the second half that put the game out of reach. Brown, who only took one shot, scoring two points in the first half, scored 12 in the second twenty minutes, making up one of the four Bisons to score in double figures. He added ten rebounds, collecting his third double-double this season.
Fellow sophomores, Adnan Hodzic, the First-Team All-Atlantic Sun center, led the team with 16 points, Josh Slater chipped in with 11, and Michael Teller scored 10.
The Bisons (17-13) contained Campbell’s Jonathan Rodriguez and Lorne Merthie throughtout the contest. Rodriguez, a Second-Team All-Atlantic Sun forward, scored only six points on 2-for-8 shooting, and Merthie, the 2009 Freshman of the Year, added only four points in his first A-Sun Championship game.
The Bisons threatened their largest tournament margin of victory of 36 points, set against Mercer in 2007. By outscoring Campbell (14-16) by 20 in the second half their ninth straight win proved to be one of relative ease.
Lipscomb advances to its third semifinals in the last four years. The Bisons will take on top-seeded Jacksonville Dolphins at 8:30 p.m. CT on CSS. In the final week of the regular season, the teams met in Allen Arena, and the Bisons clinched a 92-82 win as six players scored in double figures led by Hodzic’s 22.
When they faced off in December, the Dolphins took the win by a score of 83-67 led by Ben Smith’s 18 points and five assists.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
