In the last two Missouri Valley Conference tournaments, Belmont men’s basketball has lost in the quarterfinals in closely contested games.
But with a 76-63 win over Illinois State University on Friday, the Bruins finally broke that streak.
“I’m proud of our team. I’m really inspired by their play,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “I thought we had the right mentality to start the game and played with great edge. It was a great performance.”
Both regular season games between Illinois State and Belmont were down to the final buzzer.
This game wasn’t as close.
The win was a true team effort, with six different Bruins scoring at least 10 points.
Graduate guard Carter Whitt was the offensive engine for Belmont, finishing with a 12-point, 11-assist double-double.
While the offense was solid, it was the Bruins’ defense that propelled them to the win.
At half, they led 41-18 and held the Redbirds to 26.7 percent shooting with eight turnovers.
Coming out of half, Illinois State found some momentum as the Bruins seemed complacent with their 23-point lead.
But for every Redbirds basket, Belmont seemed to have an answer, never letting the Redbirds get within single digits.
For Alexander, the win over the Redbirds symbolizes progress for his program.
“I was thinking about sitting in this seat 12 months ago and we lost some really good players,” Alexander said. “A lot of people had questions and doubts, so I’m really grateful.”
Belmont’s season would end on Saturday in the semifinal round of the tournament following a 57-50 loss to No. 1 seed Drake.
Similar to Friday’s game against Illinois State, Belmont controlled the tempo on offense in the first half.
Belmont had a 21-10 lead following a barrage of 3-pointers while holding Drake to only 10% from beyond the arc.
Going into the half, Drake cut the deficit to 30-21 following a last-second 3-pointer.
Then coming out of the half, the Bulldogs showcased why they were the best team in the MVC, going on two different 8-0 runs to take the lead.
The Bruins kept clawing their way back into the game, sending the Enterprise Center into a frenzy.
They had opportunities to take the lead on open 3-pointers but couldn’t convert on their attempts.
“We played well enough to win the game,” said Alexander. “I got no regrets about the team that played for Belmont today.”
Bennet Stirtz, the Bulldogs’ star guard and MVC Player of the Year, finished with 24 points, leading all scorers.
Belmont freshman forward Sam Orme led the Bruins with 13 points.
The largest statistical discrepancy was Drake’s 25 free throw attempts to Belmont’s six.
Twenty-three of Drake’s attempts came in the second half.
“They shot a lot more free throws than we did, and that’s not a referee problem. That’s a Belmont problem,” said Alexander.
Now, the Bruins turn to the offseason, looking to reload a roster that has three key players graduating.
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This article was written by Nick Rampe and Ty Wellemeyer
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