On the road in Milwaukee: Bisons’ exciting season comes to an end in the NCAA tournament

Kim Chaudoin  |  03/21/2025

In a season marked by resilience, grit and a championship finish in the ASUN tournament conference, the Lipscomb University men’s basketball team made its second trip in university history to the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Despite a strong start, the Bisons fell to Iowa State, 82-55, in the first round of the tournament at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

With the loss, Lipscomb concludes its season at 25-10 highlighted by the program’s second ASUN conference title and NCAA tournament appearance in school history.

After an early 6-0 deficit, Lipscomb responded with a flurry of offense, including three early three-pointers from junior guard Gyasi Powell and a balanced scoring attack led by senior forward Jacob Ognacevic. The Bisons took their first lead of the game, 16-15, midway through the first half. But a 10-0 run by the Cyclones gave Iowa State momentum heading into halftime with a 40-24 lead.

Lipscomb continued to battle in the second half, but Iowa State bested the Bisons to win 82-55. Ognacevic led the Bisons with 18 points, while Powell added 11. Senior Jack Ingold capped off the scoring for the Bisons with a late layup.

Despite the outcome, Head Coach Lennie Acuff praised both Iowa State and the Bisons for the season’s accomplishments.

“Congratulations to Iowa State. They've got a really good team,” said Acuff postgame. “They really took advantage of us at the 4 and the 5. We’re fighting, but we just didn’t have an answer. In order for us to win, we knew we had to shoot it well.”

“But nothing that happened today is going to take away from what our team did (this season),” he continued. “This is as good a group of young men as I’ve ever been around. God has been so good to us. We are so thankful to be at Lipscomb. Our fans brought a great crowd, and it was great to see all the Lipscomb folks here.”

For Ognacevic, playing in his home state of Wisconsin was a meaningful way to end the season.

“It was great playing in Milwaukee, especially in Fiserv,” he said. “Just being able to play back home in Wisconsin with a lot of family and friends in the crowd meant a lot to me.”

Powell reflected on the journey that led him to Lipscomb and this NCAA Tournament moment.

“You dream of this since you’re a little kid,” Powell said. “For me personally, I’ve been to three different schools. To do this at this school means everything. Everything we did to get here is amazing.”

The Bisons reached the NCAA tournament by securing the ASUN title with a dominant 77-68 win over North Alabama in the ASUN Tournament Championship on March 9.