Men's Basketball Defeats Air Force

USAFA, Colo. - - Behind five double figure scorers and strong bench play, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Air Force, 79-71, Friday night from Clune Arena.
 
Carter Whitt led Belmont with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists as the Bruins earned their second consecutive road victory this week.
 
In a game characterized by 44 fouls and 46 free throw attempts, Belmont hung tough and executed well in the second half.
 
It was an inauspicious start, as the Bruins gave up a score off the opening tip and missed 11 of their first 12 shots.
 
Meanwhile Air Force freshman guard Sam Duskin – who entered the game with six career points – scored 11 consecutive points in the first four minutes as the hosts led 13-2.
 
The poor start – coupled with Air Force's methodical offensive style – forced Belmont to work back into the game one possession at a time.
 
The Bruins limited Air Force to one basket over a seven-plus minute stretch as a pair of 3-pointers from Whitt and makes from Aidan Noyes and Jonathan Pierre gave Belmont a 16-15 lead.
 
Belmont head coach Casey Alexander went deep into the bench early in the game, with 11 Bruins seeing action in the first 10 minutes of the game.
 
That yielded dividends as the game wore on – as the Belmont frontcourt of Brigham Rogers and Drew Scharnowski were managing fouls.
 
Belmont closed the first half on a 14-5 run. Brody Peebles hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Bruins led 37-32 at halftime.
 
After the slow start, Belmont made nine 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes as Whitt and Peebles each scored nine points.
 
The Bruins took advantage of 10 offensive rebounds.
 
Belmont also limited Air Force leading scorer Ethan Taylor to three first-half points.
 
Rogers and Sam Orme would each score three points to open the second half as Belmont extended the lead to 43-34 with 18:02 remaining.
 
Each time Belmont appeared poised to build a double-figure lead a shot would rim out or a strange bounce would lead to an Air Force score.
 
Consecutive baskets from Caleb Walker and Duskin got Air Force within 45-42 with 14:23 left.
 
Belmont was much more purposeful attacking the rim in the second half, working into the bonus with 13 minutes left.
 
Rogers and Whitt helped increase the lead before Jake Dykstra added a baseline layin to make the score 51-45.
 
Tyler Lundblade hit two second-half 3-pointers, the second of which in front of the Belmont bench increased the lead to nine, 62-53, with 8:24 remaining.
 
Air Force hung around behind the play of Walker and timely passing.
 
Whitt would continue to deliver as one free throw and an assist to Orme on a 3-pointer gave Belmont a 66-57 advantage with 5:31 left.
 
The fouls and free throw attempts made it a mental grind, to be attentive on every possession.
 
The Bruins were impressive down the stretch, executing for paint scores and managing time.
 
Orme, Peebles, Walker and Whitt each had finishes at the rim in the final four minutes as the Bruins secured the road victory.
 
All told, Belmont shot 57 percent from the field in the second half.
 
The Bruins outscored Air Force, 21-8, in points off turnovers.
 
Whitt led five Belmont players in double figures with 16 points. Orme had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Walker had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Peebles also scored 11.
 
Lundblade had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.
 
Walker led Air Force (1-3) with 17 points.
 
Belmont (3-1) returns to game action Tuesday, Nov. 19 vs. Oral Roberts. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. from the Curb Event Center.