Lipscomb University - Athletics

Athletics

Sports teams are nicknamed "The Bisons," and there is a large statue of the namesake animal centrally located on the campus. At one time the school was a small-college sports powerhouse, notably in baseball and basketball in the NAIA; now it is a member of NCAA Division I and competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The university has an ongoing sports rivalry with Belmont University, just 3 miles (4.8 km) down the road from Lipscomb. Traditionally basketball games between the two schools are called the "Battle of the Boulevard". Overall the Bisons have the series advantage 70-55.

In 2006, the rivalry reached a new level when Belmont and Lipscomb advanced to the finals of the Atlantic Sun tournament at the Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, with the winner earning its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. Belmont won 74–69 in overtime. Lipscomb was invited to the National Invitation Tournament as the regular-season conference champion, losing in its first game.

The Lipscomb Bisons traditionally include the "s", though the plural of "bison" is usually not "bisons." However, some dictionaries list this as a rare usage (and the Oxford English Dictionary points out that in Latin the plural is "bisontes").

The Bison serves as the official mascot of Lipscomb University. Lu The Bison, a costumed Mascot, can be seen at basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball games as well as other non-athletic events on and around the Lipscomb campus.

On November 13, 2007, the Lipscomb women's basketball team defeated Fisk University 123-22 in one of the most lopsided games in NCAA history.