Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball defeated Murray State, 71-64, Thursday night from the Curb Event Center.
In the second meeting in two weeks between two of the nation's most tradition-rich programs, Belmont rode strong inside scoring and spirited defense in leading virtually wire-to-wire.
Belmont held Murray State scoreless during a nearly nine-minute stretch of the first half, building an 18-5 lead on a layin from sophomore Caleb Hollander (Nashville, Tenn.).
But each time Belmont appeared on the verge of blowing the game completely open, a clean 3-point shot or interior basket would rim off.
Murray State closed within 24-21 on a driving basket from DaQuan Smith.
Determined drives from sophomore Adam Kunkel (Hebron, Ky.) reasserted the Bruin advantage.
Belmont led 32-26 at halftime.
The Bruins turned 12 Murray State first-half turnovers into 12 points.
Remarkably, Belmont did not make a 3-point field goal until Kunkel sank a wing triple to give the Bruins a 37-28 lead with 17:48 remaining.
Timely scoring from Devin Gilmore and DaQuan Smith gave Murray State a brief 46-45 lead.
Graduate student Tyler Scanlon (Centreville, Va.) scored seven points during a decisive 10-0 Belmont run to make the score 55-46 with 8:46 left.
Murray State responded in uncharacteristic fashion; as sophomore post KJ Williams - who banked in a 3-pointer earlier in the half - made consecutive 3-pointers to make the score 55-52.
Belmont would limit Murray State to two made field goals the final 7:15.
Kunkel and Scanlon combined to score 14 of Belmont's final 16 points to secure the victory.
All told, Belmont shot 45 percent from the field and forced 22 Murray State turnovers.
Scanlon led three Bruins in double figures with a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds. Kunkel added 20, while sophomore Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Gilmore led Murray State (17-6, 10-1 OVC) with 13 points.
Belmont stayed perfect at the Curb Event Center vs. Murray State.
Belmont (17-7, 8-3 OVC) returns to game action Saturday, Feb. 8 vs. Austin Peay. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT.
Postgame Quotes
Belmont Head Coach Casey Alexander
On forcing Murray State to 22 turnovers…
"I think these guys were very well prepared. Along with us talking about 'here's what they're going to do', these guys have to go out and execute that game plan. I thought we were extremely active in the first half, especially. I think we forced 12 turnovers at halftime or something like that. These guys executed a game plan and made it difficult for them to play on rhythm and that's always a good formula for defensive success."
On the key to defending Murray State guard Tevin Brown…
"We went into the game knowing that three different guys were going to guard him: [Michael] Benkert, [Ben] Sheppard, and [Tate] Pierson. I think for both teams it was the familiarity of playing two weeks ago. You prepare to play that game, then you turn around and play another game. There weren't any surprises. But we just did a better job of staying connected to him and making him work. Obviously, that was a really important part of the game. We finished possessions against him much better (here) today."
On the game plan to score inside…
"Our game plan did not change from beginning to end. Our game plan is always to play through the post. When you get those 2-point percentages, it's natural to assume that that's post play. You look at Scanlon over here, he's 8-for-9 from two and that's a pretty good number. Our five man didn't even get that many attempts. [Muszynski] had 15 attempts. It was a collective effort. We didn't start going inside and tried to get twos because we weren't making threes. Our offense is to play through the post, take what that gives us. If that's a two, that's great. If that's a three, that's great, and we never changed from that. We just performed better from two than three."
On if the team is coming off it's best performance…
"I don't think it's our best performance. It's our best performance in a while and it's definitely our toughest, grittiest performance. It can help this be a pivotal moment for our season because we did it in a little different way. A lot of times when we win big games, we play pretty and we make a ton of threes and it's one of those high assist games. Tonight we did it in a different fashion. That will help us next time we need to grind something out."
Belmont Sophomore Guard Adam Kunkel
On how different tonight felt compared to the first match-up with Murray State...
"We had a very similar game plan and I feel like this time we just executed. Like Coach said, we just responded better."
Belmont Graduate Student Forward Tyler Scanlon
On how different tonight felt compared to the first match-up with Murray State…
"Honestly, I thought it felt pretty similar. We were in a similar spot. I think the difference was we just battled and we made the plays we needed to make to win. I think guys came off the bench and made really impactful plays. [Freshman] Ben Sheppard didn't score a point, but his plus/minus was +14. He had some really big rebounds, had some steals, got some deflections and guys stepped up and made plays."
