JACKSONVILLE, FLA. - - Belmont men's basketball threatened to snag a key conference win, but a big run in the final seven minutes propelled host Jacksonville to an 82-66 victory Saturday.
Coming off their lowest single-game scoring output in nine years, the Bruins came out purposeful and focused. Five quick points off the bench from senior Keaton Belcher (Butler, Ky.) gave Belmont a 12-10 lead seven minutes in.
Junior Jordan Campbell (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Belcher then tacked on two more treys as the lead grew to 25-18 with 6:22 left in the half. But after holding North Florida to 26 percent shooting Thursday, the Bruins shouldered a series of contested Jacksonville makes late in the half.
Behind two three-pointers from Ben Smith, the Dolphins took a 30-29 lead with 3:05 in the half. But consecutive tough layins from freshman Kerron Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) and junior Jon House (Guelph, Ont., Canada) helped the Bruins tie the score at 35 at halftime.
It was a strange feeling at halftime, as the Bruins had played an outstanding opening 20 minutes but had no lead to show for it. Belmont shot 41 percent (11-for-27) from the field, but went 9-for-10 from the free throw line and outrebounded the Dolphins by one.
But after minimizing mistakes and attacking the full court Jacksonville pressure defense for scores in the first half, the Bruins started the second half inauspiciously. Three turnovers and three interior misses sparked the Dolphins into transition and ultimately a 41-35 lead.
But a steal and baseline driving layin from Campbell and one free throw from freshman Brandon Baker (Milford, Ohio) helped Belmont stem the tide and settle back in.
A confident deep three-pointer from freshman Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) tied the score at 43 with 15:08 left. But Chris Rozier answered with his first trey of the season to put Jacksonville back on top.
Behind the play of Lehmon Colbert and a baseline three-pointer from Ayron Hardy, the Dolphins claimed a 57-49 lead with 11:16 left.
But the youthful Bruins kept fighting. With a series of defensive stops and six different Bruins scoring, Belmont capped a 12-2 run on a basket from freshman Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) to go ahead 61-59 with 7:17 to go.
However, it turned sour from there. Five points from Colbert and offensive rebound baskets from Travis Cohn and Szymon Lukasiak put Jacksonville ahead 68-62 with 4:29 left.
After sophomore Scott Saunders (New Orelans, La.) answered with a tough left-handed basket, Hardy sank a running floater and Smith added a long jumper to give the Dolphins a 75-64 lead with 1:56 to go.
Though Belmont got promising looks down the stretch and fought valiantly to the final horn, the Bruins went just 2-for-13 from the field in the final seven minutes, including six straight misses from behind the arc.
Jacksonville ended the game on a 23-5 run to produce the somewhat misleading final margin.
All told, Belmont shot 38 percent (22-for-58) from the field.
Hedgepeth scored a team-high 16 points and added six rebounds. Clark scored 12.
Colbert paced Jacksonville (8-8, 5-3 Atlantic Sun) with a season-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Belmont (9-9, 4-4 Atlantic Sun) returns to action Thursday, Jan. 21 against Campbell. Tip-off is set for 7:15 pm CT from the Curb Event Center.
The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network at belmontbruins.com, with video streaming via ASun.TV.
