NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Tuesday at Lipscomb.
Belmont defeated Pepperdine, 85-77, Saturday. The Bruins made their first six 3-point field goal attempts in racing out to a 20-5 lead. Senior Evan Bradds had a game-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Sophomore Dylan Windler's (Indianapolis, Ind.) game-winning basket with 0.4 seconds remaining last Tuesday was the first time Belmont sank a shot to win in the final second of a game since Craig Bradshaw's basket to defeat Ohio, two years to the day (11/29/14).
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd and Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander have a bond that dates back to the early 90's. Alexander, a product of nearby Brentwood Academy, played point guard for Byrd at Belmont from 1991-95. He won 119 games as a player and helped lead Belmont to the top of the NAIA. As a senior in 1994-95, Alexander directed the then-Rebels to a 37-2 record, a No. 1 national ranking, and an appearance in the NAIA National Semifinals. From there, he spent 16 seasons as a part of Byrd's coaching staff. Belmont won 287 games with Alexander on staff.
This marks the 10th time Byrd and Alexander have coached against each other. Belmont is 9-0 in those games, which includes two games in the 2011-12 season when Alexander was at Stetson.
Lipscomb associate head coach Roger Idstrom was a member of Belmont's staff from 2000-11.
Lipscomb assistant coach Steve Drabyn was an All-Atlantic Sun guard for Belmont from 2000-04. Drabyn led the nation in field goal percentage in 2003, and ranks ninth on the Bruins' NCAA era career scoring list with 1,237 points. Drabyn was recently inducted into the Belmont University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Belmont associate head coach Brian Ayers played for Don Meyer at Lipscomb from 1989-93. Ayers coached with Alexander at Belmont from 1998-2011 and Idstrom from 2000-11.
Lipscomb junior Asa Duvall is the son of former Belmont player Danny Duvall ('81).
Belmont and Lipscomb have a combined five members in the NAIA Hall of Fame (Belmont: Rick Byrd, Joe Behling; Lipscomb: Don Meyer, Philip Hutcheson, John Pierce).
During its 10-game win streak over Lipscomb, Belmont has made 111 3-point field goals (11.1 per game).
Belmont senior All-America candidate Evan Bradds has averaged 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in his last three games vs. Lipscomb. Bradds scored a game-high 24 points in last Tuesday's game.
This marks the 140th meeting between Belmont and Lipscomb. The Battle of the Boulevard series dates back to 1953, with Lipscomb holding a 73-66 series lead. Belmont holds a 19-9 series lead in the NCAA Division I era of the rivalry (2004-present). Belmont has won the last 10 meetings, including 64-62 November 29 at the Curb Event Center.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT from Allen Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. The live play-by-play can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network. In-game updates will be available on Twitter @BelmontMBB.
Belmont at Lipscomb Game Notes
