In a crucial game for seeding in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Belmont’s men basketball lost to the University of Northern Iowa 82-75 Wednesday night.
Had the Bruins won, they would have found themselves within one game of the No. 3 seed.
Before the game, graduate guard Brody Peebles and senior forward Jonathan Pierre were honored for reaching 1,000 career points this season.
And the Bruins’ high scoring offense seemed to carry over from the celebration as they quickly took the 24-10 lead over the Panthers, catching fire from the 3-point line.
For every Panthers attempt to shrink that lead, the Bruins answered back.
Peebles had 11 first-half points, finding success with smooth midrange jumpers.
Belmont led 44-37 with momentum going into halftime.
During halftime, Belmont retired Ian Clark’s No. 21, the first Belmont jersey retirement in 35 years.
During Clark’s four years at Belmont, he became the program’s NCAA era career leader in points and 3-pointers and led the Bruins to four consecutive regular season conference championships, three conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.
Surrounded by family and former coaches and teammates, Clark gave a speech expressing gratitude to his Belmont family.
After the festivities ended, the once amped Belmont crowd soon became quiet as the Panthers came roaring out of the half.
What was once a 12-point lead slowly dwindled into a one-point lead as the Panthers’ Tytan Anderson terrorized the Bruins in the paint.
Anderson, who had 19 points and 19 rebounds against the Bruins in the 2024 Arch Madness quarterfinals, again dominated the Bruins with 27 points and nine rebounds.
Center Jacob Hutson also had seven rebounds in the second half, playing a crucial role in the Panthers’ 19 offensive rebounds throughout the game.
“They play with a lot of toughness and physicality,” said Belmont head coach Casey Alexander. “You’re just not going to beat good teams when you get outrebounded like that.”
Even with the rebound discrepancy, the Bruins still fought to take the lead, going back and forth with the Panthers.
In the end, the Panthers’ physicality proved to be too much for the Bruins.
But for Alexander, the fact that his team stayed in the game is a positive sign for his team heading into its final three games before Arch Madness.
“It says a lot that the game was like it was all the way down the stretch,” he said. “We cut it to three, and we had our chances. It says that we competed and found a way to stay relevant.”
The Bruins look to bounce back against Indiana State University on Saturday as part of Belmont’s 2025 Homecoming.
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This article was written by Ty Wellemeyer.
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