Lipscomb is home of college basketball’s all-time leading scorers
By Kim Chaudoin |
This spring the eyes of the nation focused on the University of Iowa women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark as she broke the NCAA-Division I scoring record on March 3 by making her 3,685th collegiate career point.
But decades earlier, former Bison basketball players Philip Hutcheson (LA ’86, BA ’90) and John Pierce (BA ’94), cemented themselves as the two most prolific scorers in college basketball history — at all levels. This accomplishment continues to hold to this day.
The first to make college basketball history was Hutcheson, who has served as Lipscomb’s athletic director since 2008. During his tenure as post and the heart of the Bisons’ offense from 1986-1990, he scored double digits in every game of his four-year collegiate career and set numerous school records, many of which still stand.
On March 16, 1990, Hutcheson found himself in the national spotlight as the Bisons took on Pfeiffer College in the quarterfinal round of the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City. He was on the precipice of becoming college basketball’s all-time scorer. With 12:01 left in the first half, Hutcheson hit an eight-foot jump hook shot to break the existing all-time scoring mark of 4,045 points set by Travis Grant of Kentucky State.
Pierce, Hutcheson’s teammate and college roommate at the time, was a red shirt freshman for the Bisons and was sitting on the bench that night watching history unfold. Hutcheson was looking for someone to throw the ball to after his memorable shot, saw Pierce on the bench and tossed it to him. Hutcheson went on to end his collegiate playing career two games later in the NAIA championship game having accumulated 4,106 career points and earning virtually every possible award including being named an All-American each of his four seasons as a player.
The following season, Pierce filled the very big shoes left by Hutcheson following his graduation and quickly found his home in the post position for the Bisons, a position he held from 1990-1994. He quickly established himself as a scoring powerhouse and fans began to wonder if Pierce would have a chance to break what many believed was an unbreakable record.
On Feb. 24, 1994, in Lipscomb’s McQuiddy Gym Bison Nation was on the verge of witnessing history once again as Pierce was poised to break Hutcheson’s all-time scoring record. Pierce was held to only eight points in the first half against conference rival Cumberland University. But with 4:54 to go in the second half, Pierce hit an uncontested layup which pushed him past Hutcheson with his 4,108th career point. The game was stopped and Hutcheson was there to present his former roommate with the ball. Pierce compiled 4,230 career points, which included scoring 54 points in a single game, and earned numerous awards and honors, also being named an All-American each of his four seasons as a player.
Today Pierce, boys’ basketball coach and teach at Nashville Christian School, stands atop the basketball ranks as the all-time scoring leader in all levels of college basketball. Hutcheson remains the second-highest scorer in all of college basketball.