Ben Sheppard Earns TSWA Player of the Week Honors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ben Sheppard was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's Men's Basketball Player of the Week, recording 21.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals in three outings for the Bruins. 

The Atlanta, Ga., native netted 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting versus George Mason and scored a season-best 27 points against Howard, hitting 9-of-17 shots overall, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, adding five boards, four assists and three steals to end the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. He finished the week with 15 points with four rebounds and five assists at Georgia State. 

The senior earned a spot on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team for his performance in the Virgin Islands last week and currently ranks among Missouri Valley Conference leaders in ten statistical categories. 

Sheppard leads the Bruins and is second in the MVC with 20.3 points per game, adding 5.0 rebounds with 4.4 assists in seven contests this year. 

Belmont (4-3) returns to game action Thursday vs. Valparaiso. 
  
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. 
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and the ESPN app. The live play-by-play can be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeartRadio. In-game updates will be available via Twitter @BelmontMBB. 
 
Belmont season tickets, which include the entire men's and women's basketball home schedule, are on sale now at BelmontBruins.com/Tickets, in addition to Puckett's flex packs, single-game tickets and group experiences. Fans can also call or text 615.460.BALL (2255). 
 
To become a Bruin Club member, contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu. 
 
Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. 
 
Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 15 of the last 17 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 has won 20 or more games in 12 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon). Belmont is one of only five NCAA Division I programs outside the Power 5 to post Top 100 rankings 12 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19 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