NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Saturday vs. Eastern Illinois.
The Bruins fell to SIU Edwardsville, 79-69, Thursday, after having won eight consecutive meetings in the series, 55 of their 58 OVC home games, and 122 of their last 131 home games overall.
Sophomore Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) had 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Belmont. The 6-2 floor general leads the nation in rebounding from the point guard position (8.3).
Sophomore Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) led Belmont with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots Thursday. The 6-11 center has scored in double figures in 37 of his 46 appearances in a Bruin uniform.
Freshman Mitch Listau (Waunakee, Wis.) had 10 points in 10 minutes off the bench Thursday. The 6-4 guard has three double figure scoring games this season, and has seven made 3-point field goals over his last five games.
Belmont delivered one of its finest performances of the NCAA Division I era vs. Eastern Illinois in the 2015 OVC Tournament Quarterfinal, opening the game on a 15-0 run, shooting 62 percent from the field - including 16-for-27 from 3-point distance - en route to a 97-64 victory.
The state of Illinois brought Belmont former All-OVC forward Amanze Egekeze ('18, Lake in the Hills) and Class of 2020 signee Frank Jakubicek (Cary).
This marks the 12th meeting between Belmont and Eastern Illinois, 10th in OVC play.
The Bruins won last season at the Curb Event Center; the win was career victory No. 800 for hall of fame head coach Rick Byrd.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. 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 via Twitter @BelmontMBB.
Eastern Illinois at Belmont Game Notes
Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 13 of the last 14 seasons, including eight berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 17 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont is one of only six NCAA Division I programs outside the Power 5 to post Top 100 RPIs nine consecutive seasons (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont is one of only nine NCAA Division I programs to win 19 or more games 14 consecutive seasons (BYU, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, San Diego State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 17 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of existence.
