Box Score COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind a career-high 41 points from Ben Sheppard, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Tennessee Tech, 100-92, in overtime Saturday.
Nick Muszynski added a career-high 33 points, seven rebounds, six assists, five blocked shots and three steals as Belmont won for a 10th consecutive time in the series.
While Belmont won the previous nine by a margin of nearly 15 points per game, this would require one of the greatest comebacks in recent program history.
Tennessee Tech shot 64 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes in leading 52-37 at halftime.
A Kenny White Jr. 3-pointer made the score 59-39 with 17:02 remaining.
Sheppard and Muszynski willed Belmont back into the game; a Sheppard layin made the score 69-61 with 8:47 left.
Consecutive Muszynski scores around a Will Richard dunk got Belmont within four, 75-71, with 4:44 left.
After a Mamoudou Diarra 3-pointer, Sheppard and Muszynski scored six points to get the Bruins within 78-77.
Keishawn Davidson and Muszynski would trade scores before Belmont forced a missed 3-point field goal attempt from Shandon Goldman.
Tennessee Tech would collect the loose ball rebound, and after Davidson's lob attempt to a teammate hit the corner of the backboard, he regathered and scored to make the score 82-79 with 27 seconds left.
Grayson Murphy scored a driving basket with 15 seconds left to get the Bruins within one.
Davidson made two free throws with 12 seconds left to make the score 84-81, setting the stage for more Sheppard heroics.
Taking a dribble handoff from Murphy along the left wing, Sheppard made a deep, contested 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left to tie the score at 84.
Following a timeout, Belmont forced a Tennessee Tech turnover and Muszynski nearly won the game in regulation, but his 70-footer banked and rimmed off.
Carrying momentum, baskets from Murphy and Muszynski and five Sheppard points powered Belmont to a 9-0 run to open overtime.
Sheppard punctuated his career-high with an acrobatic conventional 3-point play with 54 seconds remaining in overtime as Belmont extended to a 96-86 lead.
Belmont shot 57 percent (20-of-35) from the field in the second half and overtime.
Belmont, leading the nation in assists entering play, handed out 25 assists on 31 made field goals.
In addition to Sheppard and Muszynski's career nights, Richard had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
White Jr. led Tennessee Tech (5-18, 2-8 OVC) with 16 points.
With the victory, Belmont joins Gonzaga and Kansas as the only programs in America to win 19 or more games 17 consecutive seasons (San Diego State has the opportunity to join the group).
Belmont (19-5, 9-2 OVC) returns to game action Monday vs. Austin Peay.
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 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
