JACKSONVILLE, FLA. - - Matt Sauey's tip-in basket with 0.9 seconds left gave UNF a 45-43 victory over Belmont men's basketball Thursday night.
It was an agonizing result for the Bruins, who once again played stout, spirited defense for the entire 40 minutes. But points would prove hard to come by in this matchup of two of the top defensive teams in the Atlantic Sun.
Head Coach Rick Byrd rewarded the effort plays of freshman Brandon Baker (Milford, Ohio) in the previous game by giving the swingman his first career start.
And though clean looks and promising interior opportunities surfaced early, Belmont could not seem to rip the lid off the basket. Compounding matters, leading scorer Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) picked up his second personal foul less than three minutes into the game, forcing him to the Bruin bench.
But midway through the first half, Clark and sophomore Drew Hanlen (St. Louis, Mo.) strung together a series of made three-point field goals to give the Bruins a 14-12 lead with 7:06 left in the half.
The lead would grow to four on a driving layin by Clark before the teams once again hunkered down into an intense halfcourt struggle.
A layin from sophomore Scott Saunders (New Orleans, La.) on a great feed from freshman Kerron Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) gave Belmont a 24-21 lead at halftime.
The Bruins shot 10-for-23 in the first half but committed 11 turnovers.
Saunders extended the lead to five early in the second half, before Andy Diaz helped UNF trim the margin to one.
That's when freshman Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) provided a huge spark off the bench, as his wing three-pointer and an offensive rebound basket stretched the Bruin lead to six, 34-28, with 11:34 left.
Following a steal from junior Jordan Campbell (Indianapolis, Ind.) Belmont nearly increased the lead to nine, but a three-pointer from Clark dipped in and out.
The Ospreys would proceed to score six unanswered points and tie the score at 34 with 8:20 left.
But the Bruins were unwilling to relingquish the lead. Two free throws from sophomore Mick Hedgepeth (Crossville, Ala.) and a darting conventional three-point play from Clark gave Belmont a 41-37 edge with 6:20 to go. After another defensive stop, Belmont's chance to go up six would go by the boards as Saunders would have two interior shots rim off.
Diaz then scored four straight points to tie the score at 41 with 3:38 remaining. After an exchange of defensive stops, Clark buried a sweet teardrop in the lane with 1:09 left to put the Bruins ahead 43-41.
Brad Haugabrook replied with a floater of his own to nod the score at 43 with 50 seconds left.
Then after running its halfcourt set, Belmont again turned to Clark, whose three-point attempt late in the shot clock rimmed off. The Ospreys claimed the rebound and held for the final shot.
Haugabrook, who returned after briefly leaving the game in the second half with a right leg injury, worked the game clock down and drove the lane. But Hanlen defended him well and forced a missed shot with two seconds left.
But Sauey crashed the offensive glass and tipped in the miss with under a second remaining to win the game for UNF.
Belmont held UNF to 26 percent shooting, including 1-for-12 from three-point range. Moreover, Haugabrook, who held the second-best shooting percentage for Atlantic Sun guards entering the game, went just 2-for-13.
But the Bruins shot just 37 percent (17-for-46) from the field - including 30 percent in the second half.
Clark scored a game-high 17 points. Saunders had a game-high 10 rebounds.
Sauey led UNF (9-8, 4-3 Atlantic Sun) with 11 points.
Belmont (9-8, 4-3 Atlantic Sun) returns to action Saturday, Jan. 16 at Jacksonville. Tip-off is set for 2:15 pm CT.
The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network, with video streaming via ASun.TV.
