Belmont Men’s basketball defeated Southern Illinois University 90-86 as students returned to campus to pack the Curb Event Center.
The Bruins hit a 3-pointer to start the game off strong.
Southern Illinois quickly responded by putting a few points on the board, forging a back-and-forth battle for control of the momentum for the first half.
Although both teams played hard, Belmont led the entirety of the first half with scoring help from junior guard Isaiah Walker, senior forward Jonathan Pierre and graduate guard Brody Peebles made more shooting efforts and gained over a 10-point lead at the close of the half.
The second half, however, was not the Bruins’ best.
Southern Illinois quickly put points on the board.
Belmont’s lead came close when Southern Illinois scored two 3-pointers, tying the game early in the second half.
With 14 minutes left in the game, Southern Illinois took advantage of Belmont’s sloppy play, leading for the first time.
Working around Southern Illinois’s defense, the Bruins were able to score through frequent passes in a back-and-forth battle in the second half.
With 10 minutes remaining, Belmont led 65-64.
Belmont scrambled and made multiple changes in the lineup in the last five minutes as the pressure built.
The crowd was at the edge of their seats with one minute remaining, tied 81-81.
Pierre scored, giving Belmont a short lead back.
The last minute of the game was interrupted by fouls.
Thanks to 11 Southern Illinois fouls in the second half, Isaiah Walker, junior Tyler Lundblade and senior Carter Whitt secured the 90-86 win.
But even with the win, head coach Casey Alexander said he wasn’t impressed with the Bruins’ second-half performance.
“The first thing we’ve seen time and time again this year is how many points we give up in the second half,” Alexander said. “We gave up 55 tonight, so we need to remedy that.”
Sitting at 3-2 in conference play, the Bruins travel to Indiana State on Saturday.
-
This article was written by Emily Garver.