NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind torrid first-half shooting and balanced scoring, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Brescia, 102-68, Tuesday night to extend its NCAA-best home court win streak to 23 games.
The Bruins, fresh off a championship in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament and a program-record 31 votes in the AP Top 25 poll Nov. 25, were extremely efficient against the NAIA Bearcats.
A three-pointer from senior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) sandwiched around layins from senior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) and junior Chad Lang (Marietta, Ga.) made the score 18-6 five and a half minutes in.
Freshman Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) capped a 10-0 Belmont run with a transition basket to give the Bruins a 31-13 lead midway through the first half.
The uptempo affair continued, with Belmont hitting on all cylinders.
Three-pointers from Mann and senior Drew Windler (South Milwaukee, Wisc.) and a fast break dunk from sophomore Craig Bradshaw (Ridgetop, Tenn.) pushed the lead to 59-28 before Jermain Langley hit a 35-footer to beat the first half buzzer.
Belmont shot 70 percent (26-for-37) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 6-fof-13 from three-point distance. The Bruins forced 12 turnovers which directly led to 23 points. Belmont also scored 38 points in the paint in the first half.
The Bruins maintained focus into the second half, holding the Bearcats scoreless for 5:43.
Strong play from Windler, Bradds and junior Holden Mobley (Nashville, Tenn.) highlighted an 18-0 run to open the second half.
Belmont led by as many as 46 with 14:28 remaining.
All told, the Bruins shot 62 percent (42-for-68) from the field - including 12-for-25 from three-point distance. Belmont outrebounded Brescia, 38-19, and forced 19 turnovers.
Windler led five Bruins in double figures with a season-high 18 points. Bradds added 15 while Mann had 14, all in the first half.
Freshman Nick Smith (Bentonville, Ark.) scored a career-high 11 points, while Lang tied a career-high with 10.
Decarlos Collier led Brescia with 21 points.
Belmont (7-1) returns to action Sunday, Dec. 1 vs. No. 24 VCU. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, Comcast Mid-Atlantic, SportsNet NY and in Nashville on MyTV30. Check your local listings for channel and availability in your area.
Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram will be on the call.
The game will also be carried live on the Bruin Sports Network. In-game updates will be provided via Twitter @BelmontMBB.
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NOTES: The victory extended Belmont's NCAA-best home court win streak to 23 games ... Belmont entered the evening tied with Missouri for the national standard ... The victory was Belmont's 14 game of the NCAA era eclipsing the 100-point plateau ... Belmont tied an NCAA program record with 42 made field goals ... Belmont tied a Curb Event Center record with 30 assists ... Senior J.J. Mann has 994 career points.
