Belmont men’s basketball defeated the Missouri State Bears 74-65 Wednesday night.
This win gives the Bruins the series sweep versus Missouri State and a first-round bye in the MVC Tournament.
Missouri State played Belmont tight throughout most of the first half despite having seven turnovers by the 9:33 mark.
Belmont gained momentum before the end of the first half, going on a 9-0 run in the closing minutes to give the Bruins a 34-24 lead.
Going into the half, Missouri State was inconsistent, shooting just 1-9 from three and doubling Belmont in turnovers with 10.
But Missouri State went on its own 9-0 run in the early minutes of the second half, bringing the deficit to just two.
Belmont’s scoring drought was ended by junior guard Tyler Lundblade, who put on a shooting clinic for the next five minutes of game time by going 5-5 with 3-pointers in that span, giving the Bruins a 16-point lead.
The lead wasn’t safe for the Bruins as Missouri State went on a 12-0 run capped to make the score 66-63.
Sophomore big Brigham Rogers would come in clutch in the final minutes, scoring a crucial layup to push the lead to seven and blocking a shot with 42 seconds left to remove any hope of Missouri State coming back.
Lundblade continued his excellent shooting season, connecting on six 3-pointers and extending his total to an MVC-leading 97 3-pointers made. He also led all scorers with 22 points.
“He’s been a great weapon for us. In tonight’s game, they’re all important, but in tonight’s game, he lifted us up big time and gave us a cushion,” said head coach Casey Alexander.
The win marks Belmont’s 15th straight season with 20 or more wins, putting them in prestigious company with Gonzaga, Kansas and Oregon as the only teams with this active streak.
“I think we approached the game the right way. I’m really proud of our team for the whole 40 minutes, finding our way to win the game and getting us to 20,” said Alexander.
With just one game left in the season, Belmont is locked in as the 4th seed in the MVC as they look ahead to Arch Madness.
Belmont will look to ride their momentum to finish the season with a three-game win streak versus Murray State Sunday, a team that they defeated 95-77 in their other matchup this year.
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This article was written by Austin Embry.