RICHMOND, Va. - - Belmont University men's basketball staged a furious late comeback before dropping a 69-61 decision Monday night.
The Bruins, looking to build off of their emotional season opening road victory at Lipscomb, got off to a fast start against the Atlantic 10 stalwart Spiders.
Quick baskets from sophomore Craig Bradshaw (Ridgetop, Tenn.) and senior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) gave Belmont a 4-0 lead 1:14 in.
Three baskets from senior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) in a two minute span helped the Bruins regain the lead, 10-9, at the 15:03 mark.
But moments later, Jenkins would pick up his second personal foul and be forced to the sidelines.
Despite the adversity, the Bruins got great contributions off the bench from freshmen Nick Smith (Bentonville, Ark.) and Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) to build a working margin.
The duo would combine on 10 straight Belmont points to give the Bruins a 25-19 lead with 7:10 left in the half.
But a brief cold spell would ensue, with Kendall Anthony lifting Richmond back to a 29-25 edge.
A three-pointer from senior Drew Windler (South Milwaukee, Wisc.) and a steal and one free throw from Bradshaw got Belmont within 34-31 at the break.
Belmont shot 56 percent (13-for-23) from the field in the opening 20 minutes – including 3-for-6 from three-point distance. And while the Bruins held their own on the board, 10 first half turnovers were hurt the cause.
A gorgeous left-handed layin from Windler closed Belmont to within one early in the second half, before Jenkins would pick up his third personal foul and return to the Bruin bench.
A Bradds conventional three-point play tied the score at 36 with 17:10 left, before Cedrick Lindsay capped an 11-1 Spider run to make the score 47-37 with 12:53 remaining.
Windler scored on the offensive glass to end a seven minute Bruin field goal drought, and Belmont continued to battle and hang around.
After Terry Allen gave Richmond a 54-41 lead with 9:44 left, the Bruins would yield only one made field goal the rest of the way.
From there, a determined Jenkins ignited a Belmont run. A straight-on three-pointer from Windler closed the margin to six, 56-50, with 4:52 left as murmurs and nervous energy began to spread in the Robins Center.
A Jenkins layin and a Windler short jumper got Belmont within 58-54 with 2:40 to go.
After forcing a Richmond turnover, Belmont freed Windler for a deep three-pointer that would have trimmed the deficit to one with 1:45 left, but it rimmed off.
Chamberlain would steal the Richmond outlet pass, but Bradshaw would be denied at the rim.
Trey Davis then followed with a driving, conventional three-point play to push the Spider lead back to seven with 1:10 remaining.
But with Coach Byrd expertly managing end-game situations, Belmont extended the game with scores, pressure defense and fouls.
Six straight points from junior Reece Chamberlain (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) got the Bruins within 64-61 with 27 seconds left.
But Richmond went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 26 seconds to secure the game.
All told, Belmont shot 41 percent (23-for-56) from the field – including just 4-for-18 from three-point distance. The Bruins were an uncharacteristic 10-for-33 in the second half.
Belmont held Richmond to 30 percent shooting after halftime.
Windler and Jenkins each scored 13 points. Smith scored a career-high 10.
Bradds and Chamberlain each added nine.
Allen led Richmond (2-0) with 16 points.
Belmont (1-1) returns to action Thursday, Nov. 14 against Indiana State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. The Bruins will continue the home opener tradition of 'First on the Floor' - the incoming Belmont University freshmen class encircling the court and greeting the Belmont team before tip.
The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network, with live video streaming available on the OVC Digital Network.
