NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Thursday night at Murray State.
The Bruins dropped an 84-73 decision at Eastern Illinois Jan. 10. Sophomore Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) continued his fine play with a team-high 16 points. Belmont shot just 7-for-43 from three-point distance - its fourth-lowest three-point shooting percentage in a game since becoming an NCAA Division I member institution (min. 25 attempts).
Nevertheless, Belmont is still No. 6 nationally in three-point field goals per game.
The 2013 OVC co-Players of the Year - Ian Clark of Belmont and Isaiah Canaan of Murray State - have gone onto solid young careers in the NBA. Clark for the Utah Jazz and Canaan for the Houston Rockets.
Belmont University Director of Athletics Mike Strickland held the same position at Murray State from 1987-96. Strickland has been the lone athletic director of Belmont's NCAA Division I era.
Belmont Director of Basketball Operations Tyler Holloway was a four-year letterwinner at Murray State from 2006-09. Holloway scored 1,083 career points, and played three seasons for Murray State head coach Steve Prohm when Prohm served as an assistant coach to Billy Kennedy.
Belmont and Murray State are two of the top teams in the nation in two-point field goal percentage. The Bruins are No. 25 and the Racers are No. 27.
Belmont's Reece Chamberlain (6.1) and Murray State's Cameron Payne (5.8) rank first and second, respectively, in the OVC in assists per game.
This marks the ninth meeting between Belmont and Murray State, and fourth in OVC play. The sum total of the three OVC meetings is 243-243.
The Bruins have won the previous two meetings, including 99-96 last season in Nashville - the highest-scoring game in Curb Event Center history.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app.
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. In-game updates will be available on Twitter @BelmontMBB.
Game Notes - Belmont at Murray State
