NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball defeated Murray State, 99-96, Thursday night in an epic OVC contest.
It was a third straight heart-stopping contest between the Bruins and Racers in less than two seasons, and was the first meeting since an unforgettable 2013 OVC Championship game. Belmont won, 70-68, in overtime on Kerron Johnson's game-winning shot.
And while Belmont and Murray State bid farewell to no less than seven players currently playing professionally, Rick Byrd and Steve Prohm once again put their respective teams in positions to succeed.
With a lively student section urging them on, the Bruins jump out quickly. Behind determined play from senior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn), Belmont seized a 13-4 lead five minutes in.
In fact, Jenkins would score 13 of Belmont's first 19 points, establishing a presence in the paint against the Racers' formidable duo of Jarvis Williams and Jonathan Fairell.
A basket from sophomore Craig Bradshaw (Ridgetop, Tenn.) and a three-pointer from senior Drew Windler (South Milwaukee, Wisc.) increased the lead to 27-13 nine minutes in, prompting a Murray State timeout and sending Bruin fans into a frenzy.
But in the blink of an eye, the Racers would respond with an offensive tear of their own. Drives from Cameron Payne and torrid shooting from Dexter Fields highlighted a 15-2 Murray State run over three minutes that gave the visitors a 38-37 lead.
Jenkins and freshman Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) would answer for the Bruins, with freshman Caleb Chowbay (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) providing a steal and coast-to-coast layin to tie the score at 45 at halftime.
Belmont shot 59 percent (17-for-29) in the opening 20 minutes – including 4-for-6 from three-point distance. The Bruins outrebounded Murray State, 17-11, in the first half, and forced seven turnovers.
After Payne opened second half scoring with a deep three-pointer, Jenkins capped an 8-0 Belmont run with a slam off a timely Bradshaw feed.
Williams scored 10 straight points for the Racers to tie the score at 61 with 13:27 left.
But in this exchange of offensive haymakers, the Bruins would strike back. Senior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) scored seven points during a 12-2 Belmont run that gave the hosts a 73-63 edge with 11:12 remaining.
Scores from junior Reece Chamberlain (Goodlettsville, Tenn.), Bradshaw and Bradds enabled Belmont to maintain an 82-71 lead with 6:52 left.
Belmont's only brief scoring spell of the game allowed Murray State to climb within seven, 82-75, on a Jeffery Moss floater. After a defensive stop, Mann sank a much-needed jumpshot at the end of the shot clock to push the Bruin advantage back to nine, 84-75, with 3:52 remaining.
Two Williams free throws trimmed the margin to six with 2:41 left, but a Jenkins interior basket and five Mann free throws made the score 91-80 with 1:12 left.
Murray State continued to fight. A deep three-pointer from T.J. Sapp cut the margin to eight. Then after two more Mann free throws, Sapp and Payne would bury consecutive three-pointers in a six-second span to get the Racers within 93-89 with 46 seconds remaining.
After an exchange of one of two free throws from Chowbay, Bradds and Murray State's C.J. Ford, Payne scored inside to make the score 95-92 with 21 seconds left.
Belmont continued to turn to Mann, who would make four more free throws in the final 21 seconds, giving the Bruins a 99-94 lead with nine seconds left.
Payne would be fouled while attempting a three-point shot with under four seconds remaining.
The freshman would make the first two attempts to get the Racers within three, before Rick Byrd called timeout in advance of the third free throw.
With Jenkins and Bradds having fouled out, and Murray State the top offensive rebounding team in OVC play, Payne's third free throw attempt shaped up to provide even more drama.
But Payne's intentional miss did not hit the rim, leading to a violation and Belmont possession.
The Bruins would then be forced to use their final timeout on the subsequent inbounds pass. After huddling up, Chamberlain would have difficulty finding an open teammate and threw a pass towards a crowd near midcourt.
Sapp would intercept, dribble into the frontcourt, and release an off-balance 30-footer as the horn sounded. The shot, which would have forced overtime, narrowly missed.
The two teams went through the handshake line, showing mutual respect and emotional exhaustion from the spirited game.
All told, Belmont shot 56 percent (32-for-57) from the field – including 9-for-20 from three-point distance. The Bruins committed only three second half turnovers.
Jenkins led four Bruins in double figures with a career-high 25 points. Mann added 25 points and nine rebounds. Bradshaw had 22 points and six assists, while Windler recorded his first Bruin double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Payne led Murray State (13-9, 8-2 OVC) with 29 points.
Belmont (18-8, 9-2 OVC) returns to game action Saturday, Feb. 8 versus Austin Peay. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center.
The game will be broadcast live on the OVC Digital Network. The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network. In-game updates will be available on Twitter @BelmontMBB.
