Box Score CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - - Senior Craig Bradshaw (Ridgetop, Tenn.) scored a season-high 28 points as Belmont University men's basketball defeated Southeast Missouri, 92-82, Thursday afternoon.
Belmont made a season-high 17 three-point field goals, coming two shy of its single-game program record of 19.
But following Monday's stirring victory over Valparaiso, the Bruins got off to a mysteriously slow start.
Belmont went scoreless the opening 3:51 as the host Redhawks jumped out to an early 6-0 lead.
From there, five three-pointers in a three minute span - including consecutive makes from junior Taylor Barnette (Lexington, Ky.) - gave Belmont a 19-17 lead six minutes in.
Meanwhile, Southeast Missouri, which entered 27 percent from three-point distance, also found the range. Two treys from Isiah Jones gave the Redhawks a 23-21 lead.
The lead traded hands four times over the next two minutes before back-to-back deep three-pointers from Bradshaw pushed the Belmont lead to seven, 37-30, at the 7:12 mark.
After a Barnette triple made the score 44-36, the Bruins went without a field goal the final 3:49 of the first half, as Southeast Missouri closed within 47-44 at halftime.
Belmont shot 45 percent (13-for-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 10-for-21 from three-point distance.
Barnette led Belmont with 15 first half points.
A Tony Anderson basket tied the score at 49 before junior Nick Smith (Bentonville, Ark.) capped a 10-0 Belmont run to push the lead to 59-49 with 13:34 remaining.
Three-pointers from Bradshaw and sophomore Austin Luke (Rowlett, Texas) increased the lead to 14, 69-55, with 11:22 left.
However, each time the Bruins appeared poised to break the game open - especially with their three-point shooting - Southeast Missouri hung around.
Another triple from Eric McGill closed the margin to 74-68 with 6:18 to go, before Bradshaw quickly answered with two three-pointers of his own.
Southeast Missouri would get within six points twice in the final 37 seconds, but the Bruins went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to close the game.
All told, Belmont shot 46 percent (27-for-59) from the field - including a season-high 17-for-39 from three-point distance. The Bruins handed out 23 assists on 27 made field goals
In addition to his 28 points, Bradshaw added seven rebounds and six assists. Barnette added 20 points and six assists while junior Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) tallied his 13th career double-double - and fifth in the last eight games - with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Jones led Southeast Missouri (2-11, 0-1 OVC) with 20 points.
Belmont has now won 13 of its last 14 conference openers.
Belmont (9-6, 1-0 OVC) returns to game action Wednesday, Jan. 6 at SIU Edwardsville. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on American Sports Network. The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network.
NOTES: Belmont has scored 199 points in two visits to Southeast Missouri; the Bruins scored 107 during the 2013-14 season ... Belmont and Southeast Missouri combined to make 27 three-pointers, among the NCAA single-games highs this season ... Dylan Windler recorded a career-high three blocked shots ... Bradshaw has scored 77 points in his last three games against Southeast Missouri ... Nick Smith added nine points, his highest output since Nov. 23 vs. South Alabama.
