Box Score WASHINGTON - - Behind balanced scoring and strong rebounding, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Howard, 95-78, Thursday in the opening game of the DC Paradise Jam presented by the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Freshman JaCobi Wood (Cleveland, Tenn.) paced four Bruins in double figures with 21 points, while junior Luke Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) added 20.
The Bruins held Howard to one field goal during a six-minute stretch of the first half in building a double figure lead.
Junior Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) punctuated a 14-3 run to close the first half as Belmont led 48-27 at halftime.
Belmont maintained active defense to start the second half, stretching the lead to 30, 70-40, with 13 minutes left on a basket from sophomore Derek Sabin (Slinger, Wis.).
Smith caught fire late, scoring 11 points in just over three minutes to make the score 92-65.
Belmont forced 17 turnovers, outrebounded Howard, 44-34, and held a 50-32 advantage in points in the paint.
Muszynski had 15 points while becoming Belmont's NCAA Division I era career blocked shots leader. Junior Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) added 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Heralded Howard (0-1) freshman Makur Maker scored seven points early, but was limited to 11 points in 29 minutes.
Belmont has won 13 consecutive games.
Belmont (1-0) returns to action Friday vs. George Mason. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 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.
