University of Minnesota Athletics
MBB: Gophers Open 04-05 Season At Williams Against Lipscomb
11/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Matchup
The Minnesota Golden Gophers begin their 110th season of basketball against the Lipscomb Bison at Williams Arena. The Gophers are a perfect 5-0 under Dan Monson in regular season openers and the Minnesota program is 87-23 all-time. Minnesota has started every season at home since the 1998-99 season. In his sixth year in Gold Country, Monson's teams hold a 40-5 non-conference home record. Last season, they were 8-1, losing only to Nebraska. Lipscomb, located in Nashville, Tenn., finished '03-04 with a 7-21 record and a 4-16 record in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Bison return two starters from last year including Brian Fisk, a member of the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team a year ago. Lipscomb joined the ranks of the NCAA in the 1999-2000 season.
Scouting the Bison
Lipscomb is coached by Scott Sanderson, who is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bison program. He has recorded a 76-73 record at Lipscomb. His father, Wimp Sanderson, was the head coach at Alabama for 12 seasons. Scott Sanderson has an overall mark of 160-98 in eight seasons. The Bison are led by sophomore guard Brian Fisk, a Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team honoree last season. Fisk led the team with 11.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game in '03-04. The other returning starter is junior point guard James Poindexter. Poindexter averaged 10.5 points and was second on the team in field goal attempts at 9.3 per game. He played in 28 games, starting 24. Lipscomb welcomes five newcomers including junior center Shaun Durant, from London, England, by way of Kaskaskia Junior College, and freshman point guard Labrian Lyons, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., both probable starters.
The Series
This is the first meeting between the two schools. Minnesota holds a 6-0 advantage (including vacated games) over the Atlantic Sun Conference. The last meeting vs. an Atlantic Sun opponent was the season opener in 2001 vs. Mercer. The Gophers won 80 -59.
What's Next
Minnesota travels to the Great Alaska Shootout for three games over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Gophers begin play on Wednesday vs. Furman. They will play either Alaska- Anchorage or Alabama on Friday. High Point, Utah, Washington and Oklahoma are in the lower half of the draw.
