Men's Basketball Defeats Illinois State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind 17 points and six rebounds from Malik Dia, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Illinois State, 67-60, Wednesday night from the Curb Event Center.
 
Cade Tyson added 16 points as Belmont managed foul trouble and played a second consecutive game without standout guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie.
 
Dia, Tyson, Jayce Willingham and Brigham Rogers each found themselves with two or more fouls in the first half as Belmont head coach Casey Alexander had to manage lineups, rotations and assignments.
 
Kyler Vanderjagt gave Belmont a 14-4 lead before Illinois State worked back into the game with bench contributions of its own.
 
Jordan Davis scored 12 first-half points, as his basket tied the game at 34 going to halftime.
 
Belmont shot 48 percent (13-for-27) from the field in the opening 20 minutes and forced 10 first-half turnovers. The Bruins limited Illinois State to nine first-half field goals, but inopportune Belmont fouls enabled the visitors to shoot 17 first-half free throws.
 
A Dia free throw gave Belmont a lead to start the second half. The Bruins held Illinois State scoreless for nearly three minutes before the Redbirds claimed their first lead since 2-0.
 
Davis capped a 10-0 Illinois State run to make the score 44-35 with 14:51 remaining.
 
From there, Belmont responded with a decisive 19-2 run behind inspired team defense, rebounding and the play of Dia and Tyson.
 
Consecutive 3-pointers from the Belmont pair gave the Bruins a 50-48 lead with 10:11 left and prompted the second called timeout from Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon in a two-minute interval.
 
Two more post scores from Dia and a timely layin from Isaiah Walker off a Keishawn Davidson assist made the score 56-48 with 8:19 remaining.
 
Kendall Lewis cut the margin in half before Jayce Willingham scored a determined conventional 3-point play in traffic.
 
Both teams played strong defense as teams worked for scores and labored through uncharacteristic missed free throws.
 
With points at a premium, Willingham delivered another clutch score following a timeout, as Walker found him for a cutting slam with 2:55 remaining to give the Bruins a 61-55 lead.
 
Dalton Banks would find Lewis for a baseline slam on Illinois State's next possession before another exchange of defensive stops.
 
Tyson would rebound an Illinois State missed shot with 1:12 remaining and make two free throws to extend the lead to six points, 63-57.
 
Banks made a 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining to get Illinois State within 63-60 before Tyson would again be fouled – this time on a backdoor feed – with 39 seconds left.
 
Strong defense rebounding and Tyson's six free throws down the stretch would provide the final margin.
 
All told, Belmont shot 47 percent (24-for-51) from the field while limiting Illinois State to 37 percent shooting.
 
Belmont also limited Illinois State – the top offensive rebounding team in the Missouri Valley Conference – to seven second-chance points.
 
Beyond Dia and Tyson, Willingham scored nine points while Walker had eight points and five rebounds.
 
Davidson added seven points, six rebounds and seven assists.
 
Davis led Illinois State (8-8, 2-3 MVC) with 18 points.
 
Belmont (11-5, 4-1 MVC) returns to game action Saturday at Indiana State.
 
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Belmont University men's basketball has been a postseason fixture the last two decades, 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 13 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon) and 19 or game games in 18 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State). Belmont is among select programs with two or more first-round selections in the NBA Draft over the last five years (Ben Sheppard, Dylan Windler). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading