Lipscomb in NCAA tournament for first time ever

It was a dreamy start and a dream fulfilled in the end – forget the nightmare in between.

The Lipscomb men's basketball team will play in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history after beating Florida Gulf Coast 108-96 on Sunday in the Atlantic Sun championship game in Fort Myers, Fla. The Bisons (23-9) built a 32-point lead and appeared poised to win in a laugher before the Eagles (23-11) put on an astounding charge in the second half.

That 32-point lead got all the way down to five, but Lipscomb got some key baskets from big man Rob Marberry to settle things down and keep the Bisons on top. He scored 14 points, and Lipscomb's other star, guard Garrison Mathews, had 26 of his 33 points in the first half.

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Previously: Lipscomb basketball back at fork in road to make NCAA tournament, 12 years later

Coach Casey Alexander and the Bisons will learn of their NCAA tournament opponent and destination in a week. They are likely to be a No. 15 or No. 16 seed. This was just the second time in school history that Lipscomb has played for a bid – the first was a 2006 loss to Belmont in the A-Sun title game, with Alexander serving as a Belmont assistant at the time for Rick Byrd.

Sophomore point guard Kenny Cooper had 17 points and nine assists for Lipscomb, and his extended stay on the bench with a fourth foul was a big part of FGCU's comeback. He came in late and made key plays on both ends to help seal the win. Matt Rose scored 14 points and Eli Pepper 13 for Lipscomb.

Reach Joe Rexrode at jrexrode@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @joerexrode.