Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind 22 points and 13 rebounds from junior Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio), Belmont University men's basketball defeated Eastern Illinois, 85-59, Saturday afternoon.
Senior Craig Bradshaw (Ridgetop, Tenn.) continued his fine play, sinking two deep three-pointers to lift Belmont to an early 10-5 lead.
But the Bruins endured a five-plus minute drought as the visiting Panthers claimed a five point lead.
Following an A.J. Riley basket, Bradshaw drilled two more electrifying three-pointers in transition to put Belmont ahead, 23-19, at the 9:51 mark.
Two more three-pointers from junior Taylor Barnette (Lexington, Ky.) extended the margin to seven, 34-27, with 5:15 left in the half.
But behind the play of Trae Anderson, Eastern Illinois tied the score at 36 at halftime.
Belmont shot 42 percent (13-for-31) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 8-for-22 from three-point distance.
Bradshaw scored along the baseline to open second half scoring, before five unanswered points from Eastern Illinois prompted a timeout from Belmont head coach Rick Byrd.
Three-pointers from freshman Kevin McClain (Jennings, Fla.) and sophomore Amanze Egekeze (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) helped Belmont retake a 48-43 advantage with 14:59 left.
After an A.J. Riley basket cut Belmont's lead to 55-51 with 11:25 remaining, Belmont went on a decisive 13-0 run.
Freshman Dylan Windler (Indianapolis, Ind.) and McClain punctuated the spurt, making the score 68-51 with 7:02 left.
Belmont scored 30 of the game's final 38 points.
All told, Belmont shot 48 percent (28-for-58) from the field, including 15-for-36 from three-point distance. The Bruins handed out 20 assists on 28 made field goals, and held the Panthers to 28 percent shooting in the second half.
Bradds paced three Bruins in double figures with 22 points. Bradshaw added 14 points and five assists, while Barnette scored 11.
10 Bruins scored.
Riley led Eastern Illinois (4-12, 1-3 OVC) with 20 points.
Belmont (11-6, 3-0 OVC) returns to game action Thursday, Jan. 14 versus Murray State. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. 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.
NOTES: Belmont has won 72 of its last 76 home games, and extended its NCAA-best conference home court win streak to 31 games ... Bradds, the nation's field goal percentage leader, recorded his seventh double-double over his last 10 games ... After being outscored by 14 points in the paint in the first half, Belmont outscored Eastern Illinois by 10 in the paint in the second half ... Windler grabbed a career-high eight rebounds ... Bradds equalled a career-high with 14 free throw attempts ... Belmont has made 31 three-point field goals in its last two games versus Eastern Illinois.
