Belmont men’s basketball defeated the Indiana State Sycamores 77-75 Saturday night.
Despite Belmont and Indiana State being the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference in offensive points-per-game, the first half was a defensive battle, finishing with a 28-26 Sycamores lead.
The expected offensive firepower showed up after halftime however, as the Bruins scored 51 second-half points and the Sycamores scored 47, leading to Belmont’s two-point win.
Carter Whitt led the Bruins in 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
“It doesn’t all rest on his shoulders, but a lot of it does,” said head coach Casey Alexander. “In the second half, he got downhill a lot and played with a lot of confidence, and we fed off of the plays that he made.”
Indiana State’s Camp Wagner led all scorers with 31 points on 9-18 3-point shooting, but a costly airball on a deep 3-pointer near the end of the game helped Belmont secure the victory.
Belmont had four players score in the double-digits: Whitt, Jonathan Pierre and Isaiah Walker with 13 each and Brody Peebles with 12 off the bench.
“Brody Peebles continues to show up and give us a great lift. Regardless of minutes, he’s impactful in the game. He’s a great, great teammate, always being ready to go. I want to make sure he gets the credit he deserves,” said Alexander.
The Bruins improve to11-7 in the MVC with the win.
They are one win away from securing a bye in the MVC tournament, and with the win completed their 20th consecutive season with at least 19 wins.
Belmont will continue to fight for position Wednesday against Missouri State.
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This article was written by Nick Rampe.
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