Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind 18 points and six steals from JaCobi Wood, Belmont University men's basketball defeated UT Martin, 87-58, Saturday.
Wood went 6-of-9 from the field to lead five Belmont players in double figures.
Will Richard capped a 12-2 run to give Belmont a 26-15 lead midway through the first half.
Strong bench contributions from Tate Pierson and Even Brauns continued Bruin momentum.
Relentless defensive activity sparked Belmont transition opportunities as Grayson Murphy racked up assists in bunches.
UT Martin was held without a field goal the final 5:12 of the first half, as a Richard 3-pointer gave Belmont a 47-27 halftime lead.
Belmont shot 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 8-of-16 from 3-point distance.
Belmont forced 10 first-half turnovers.
Interior scores from Murphy, Nick Muszynski and Ben Sheppard opened the second half, as Belmont increased its lead to 58-33 with 16:51 remaining on a Luke Smith 3-pointer.
With Murphy securing a double-double early in the second half, Belmont maintained its purpose, attention to detail and defensive disruptiveness.
A burst of Wood scoring and an EJ Bellinger 3-pointer made the score 74-39 with 9:13 left.
Belmont head Coach Alexander was able to balance playing time in the second half.
All told, Belmont shot 50 percent (30-of-60) from the field - including 14 3-point field goals.
Belmont had 15 steals and outscored UT Martin in bench points, 44-17.
Muszynski had 14 points, while Richard and Sheppard each scored 12.
Pierson scored a season-high 10.
Murphy recorded his 18th career double-double with 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
KJ Simon led UT Martin (7-15, 3-7 OVC) with 17 points.
Belmont (17-5, 7-2 OVC) returns to game action Thursday at Tennessee State.
Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 14 of the last 16 seasons, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 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 rankings 11 consecutive seasons (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont is one of only four NCAA Division I programs to win 19 or more games 16 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 18 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
