Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Before a boisterous, home opening crowd, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Maryville (Mo.), 88-49, Tuesday evening.
Belmont welcomed its freshmen class onto the Curb Event Center floor in the annual 'First on the Floor' tradition prior to the game. In addition, the Bruins raised a fifth NCAA Tournament banner to the rafters.
It was a somewhat ragged start, as both teams went scoreless for the first 2:50 of the contest before senior Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) buried a deep three-pointer, which would portend more great things from the talented perimeter player.
A baseline three-pointer from junior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) and five points from senior Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) pushed the Bruin lead to 16-4 nine minutes in.
And though Maryville (Mo.) was playing its fourth game in as many nights, the Saints proudly hunkered down and made a spirited run. Meanwhile, Belmont played stout defense of its own, but uncharacteristically missed six first half free throws to halt momentum.
Maryville (Mo.) made five first half three-pointers - the final one of which from Gerald Shaw - closed the score to within 27-24 with 3:52 left in the half.
But Belmont ended the first half on 14-4 run, punctuated by a determined driving layin from senior Kerron Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.), giving the Bruins a 43-30 halftime lead.
The Bruins shot 65 percent (15-for-23) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 7-for-9 from three-point distance. Clark led the way with 16 first half points.
Belmont used pressure defense, strong shooting and a deep perimeter rotation to break free early in the second half.
A conventional three-point play from junior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) was part of a 10-0 Belmont run that stretched the margin to 64-34 with 11:40 left.
From there, Belmont got tremendous contributions from its bench, most notably freshman Craig Bradshaw (Franklin, Tenn.) who scored 10 of his career-high 11 points in the second half.
All told, 11 Bruins scored.
Belmont shot 57 percent (30-for-53) for the game, including 14-for-20 from three-point distance. The Bruins limited Maryville (Mo.) to 5-for-23 shooting in the second half, 32 percent for the game, and forced 23 Saint turnovers.
Clark led four Bruins in double figures with 18 points. Johnson added 16 points and six assists. Noack added 14 points, while Bradshaw had 11.
Gerald Shaw led Maryville (Mo.) (2-0) with 12 points.
Belmont (2-0) returns to action Sunday, Nov. 18 at Stanford. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT.
The game will be carried live on the Pac-12 Network, check your local listings. The live play-by-play can be heard on Bruin Sports Network.
NOTES: The game counted as a regular season game for Belmont, but as an exhibition for Maryville (Mo.) ... This marked the second straight game Belmont never trailed ... Belmont has now won 14 straight home openers.
