Men's Basketball Falls to Furman on Last-Second Shot

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball dropped a 76-74 decision to Furman Friday night from the Curb Event Center.
 
PJay Smith hit a dramatic 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Paladins to victory.
 
The final sequence soured courageous performances from Belmont's starting backcourt, as Brody Peebles and Carter Whitt combined to score 40 points on 18-for-26 shooting.
 
But as was the case in last year's meeting in Greenville, the 3-point line – traditionally Belmont's calling card – swung heavily in Furman's favor.
 
Smith and Garrett Hien hit 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the game to give the Paladins an early six-point lead and portend things to come.
 
Hien, in particular, a thorn in Belmont's side during the recent series, made his first three shots from behind the arc after going 6-for-41 from long distance last season.
 
Despite several acrobatic finishes from Peebles along the baseline, the Furman 3-pointers continued.
 
A Nick Anderson triple gave Furman a 29-20 lead before a Whitt 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 Belmont run.
 
However, Whitt and teammate Drew Scharnowski would be saddled with foul trouble much of the first half.
 
Three more Anderson 3-pointers and an Eddrin Bronson long distance make gave Furman a 42-34 halftime lead.
 
It was a strange first half, in that Belmont forced 11 Paladin turnovers and shot 50 percent from the field.
 
However, Furman went 11-for-21 from long distance in the opening 20 minutes.
 
A strong Isaiah Walker drive and two more Peebles baskets got Belmont within 44-40 with 18:33 left. But after a transition 3-point attempt to get within one point rimmed out, Furman answered with scores from Smith and Hien to push the margin back to nine.
 
Whitt and Smith – who both did not play in their respective season openers – shined.
 
Consecutive 3-pointers from Jonathan Pierre and Sam Orme once again closed the margin as the Bruins solidified defensive assignments and made Furman labor for open shots.
 
Consecutive slams from Pierre and Brigham Rogers gave Belmont a 56-55 lead – its first since 16-15 – with 10:13 remaining.
 
A determined coast to coast layin from Whitt extended the margin to three as a boisterous Belmont student section voiced approval.
 
In fact, Whitt added a mid-range fadeaway and a baby hook shot to push the Belmont lead to six, 67-61, with 5:48 left as Belmont held Furman to three field goals over an eight-minute stretch.
 
After another strong Belmont defensive possession that nearly yielded a shot clock violation, Charles Johnston got a timely putback basket to trim the margin to four.
 
Orme would answer back with a driving left-handed score.
 
But Furman would answer with a quick 8-0 run. A baseline basket from Bronson, a conventional 3-point play from Davis Molnar and a 3-pointer from Tom House gave Furman a 71-69 lead with 3:59 left.
 
Peebles responded with a difficult 3-point play of his own to put Belmont back ahead 72-71 with 2:58 remaining.
 
Belmont would earn three more defensive stops before Peebles made a tough elbow jumper with 50 seconds left to increase the Belmont lead to three points.
 
Following a timeout, Belmont forced Furman well out to the perimeter and denied the 3-point line before Smith made a contested driving layin with 22 seconds to go.
 
Belmont proceeded to break Furman's press, with Walker fouled in the frontcourt with 14 seconds left.
 
As the seventh team foul, Belmont earned the bonus.
 
Walker would miss the front-end of the one-and-one, and Furman secured the rebound.
 
Belmont had two fouls to give, and proceeded to give one foul with seven seconds left.
 
As Furman inbounded from the sideline, Anderson received the entry pass and returned the ball to Smith.
 
Smith would receive a high screen from House, elevate from 24 feet, and sink a 3-point shot with 2.3 seconds remaining.
 
Pierre threw a long pass downcourt to Aidan Noyes, who had the ball tipped away as he elevated on the left wing as the horn sounded.
 
It was a difficult ending for Belmont which had largely stabilized defensively and proven efficient offensively in the second half.
 
Aside from the 3-point line, Furman proved opportunistic on the offensive glass; turning seven offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.
 
Belmont forced 16 turnovers.
 
Peebles scored a career-high 26 points on 12-for-18 shooting. Whitt had 14 points, two assists and two steals.
 
Smith led Furman (2-0) with 21 points.
 
Belmont (1-1) returns to game action Tuesday at Lipscomb.
 
Belmont University men's basketball has been a postseason fixture for 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 (behind Gonzaga and Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 14 consecutive seasons (alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and Oregon) and 19 or more games in 19 consecutive seasons (alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and 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 19 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 its existence. Belmont is the only NCAA Division I institution in America whose men's and women's basketball programs have won 20 or more games in nine consecutive seasons.