Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind a spirited 18-0 run midway through the second half, Belmont University men's basketball defeated South Dakota State, 76-49, Wednesday night.
With nine NBA scouts on hand to check out three of the best senior guards in the nation – Belmont's Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) and Kerron Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) and South Dakota State's Nate Wolters – two teams known more for free-flowing, high-execution offense showcased tremendous defense.
Senior Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) scored Belmont's first six points to get the Bruins off well. But the Bruins squandered several opportunities in the first half, as five missed layins and eight turnovers inhibited any chance to build momentum.
Bruin fans held their breath as Johnson took a frightening fall on a drive attempt midway through the first half, but he returned soon after.
Meanwhile, SDSU rode the steady play of Wolters to take a 13-10 lead.
Brayden Carlson increased the SDSU lead to 18-14 with 6:57 left in the half, before the Bruins responded. Junior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.), Johnson and Noack strung together baskets to give Belmont a 20-18 edge.
Then after a long baseline jumper from Clark, Noack again scored inside to give Belmont a 26-22 lead at halftime.
The first half was marked by four ties and six lead changes.
Belmont shot 44 percent (12-for-27) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including a surprising 0-for-4 from three-point distance. Noack led Belmont with 12 points.
12 Bruins saw action in the first half, with hopes that the talented, but heavily-relied upon Jackrabbit starters would fatigue in the second half.
Belmont came out strong in the second half. Jenkins blocked three SDSU shots in succession on one possession, which resulted in a Clark pullup jumper.
The Bruins would twice build leads of six points early in the second half before the Jackrabbits closed. A Taevaunn Prince three-pointer and an interior basket from Tony Fiegen tied the score at 37 with 12:18 remaining.
From there, Belmont turned it on – riding strong pressure defense and unselfish offense to score 18 unanswered points over the next 3:39. The Bruins got four three-point field goals, capped by a baseline three-pointer from freshman Craig Bradshaw (Franklin, Tenn.), to lead 55-37 with 8:50 left.
A nice Holiday Hoops' crowd erupted during the spurt as Belmont played some of its most complete basketball of the season.
Two more Noack wing three-pointers pushed the lead to 62-40 with 6:24 left.
Belmont had the luxury of rotating a number of rested defenders on Wolters, who continued to probe, draw fouls, and create opportunities for teammates.
SDSU went eight and half minutes without a field goal after the Fiegen basket at 37-37, getting a layin from Marcus Heemstra with 3:43 left.
All told, Belmont shot 56 percent (29-for-52) from the field, including 68 percent in the second half. The Bruins outrebounded SDSU, 43-30, and committed just five second half turnovers.
Belmont held SDSU to 27 percent (17-for-63) from the field.
Noack paced four Bruins in double figures with a career-high 24 points. Clark added 15 points and five rebounds, while Johnson had 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Jenkins tallied his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Wolters led SDSU (9-4) with 13 points.
Belmont (8-3) is off for the Christmas holiday, returning to action Friday, Dec. 28 against Boston University as part of the UCF Holiday Classic.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CT.
The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network and 104.5 The Zone.
NOTES: Belmont has now held two consecutive home opponents under 30 percent shooting from the field, Middle Tennessee (.286) South Dakota State (.270) ... Belmont has defeated four championship teams from 2011-12 (Stanford, NIT Champion; Oral Roberts, Summit League Regular Season Champion; Middle Tennessee, Sun Belt Regular Season Champion; South Dakota State, Summit League Tournament Champion) ... Belmont has won 32 of its last 33 home games.
