Gillespie Leads Men's Basketball Past Southern Illinois

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind a career-high 26 points from Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Southern Illinois, 82-68, Wednesday night from the Curb Event Center.
 
Gillespie was 11-for-15 from the field and added five rebounds and three assists.
 
Southern Illinois entered having played eight consecutive games decided by two possessions or less, so Belmont knew it needed a complete 40 minutes against the battled-tested Salukis.
 
A Gillespie conventional 3-point play and a Brigham Rogers layin gave Belmont a 9-6 lead five minutes in.
 
Both teams showcased attentive and unified defense early as halfcourt scores proved hard to come by.
 
After a Malik Dia post score, Gillespie and Rogers combined to score eight consecutive points as Belmont extended its lead to 28-23 at the 4:43 mark.
 
The first half featured five ties and three lead changes as Southern Illinois capitalized on eight fast break points to get within 30-29.
 
Two more dazzling drives from Gillespie pushed the Bruin lead to five points before a pivotal sequence to end the first half.
 
Southern Illinois guard Trent Brown made a contested jump shot before a shot clock violation with two seconds remaining in the half.
 
Following a monitor review, Brown's shot was ruled a two-point field goal and Belmont maintained a 34-31 lead.
 
From there, Belmont executed a two-part, final play to end the first half; first advancing the ball to halfcourt and calling timeout with 1.4 seconds remaining, and then finding Keishawn Davidson for a buzzer-beating 3-point shot.
 
Belmont led 37-31 at halftime.
 
Belmont shot 50 percent (16-for-32) from the field in the opening 20 and forced seven Saluki turnovers.
 
Belmont limited Southern Illinois guard Xavier Johnson – the nation's second-leading scorer to five points in the first half on 1-for-6 shooting.
 
Belmont carried the momentum of Davidson's shot into the second 20 minutes as Cade Tyson delivered a conventional 3-point on the Bruins' first possession of the second half to make the score 40-31 with 19:46 left.
 
Baskets from Johnson and Clarence Rupert got Southern Illinois within 42-37 with 17:31 remaining.
 
As Belmont continued to stay together and earn defensive stops, Gillespie shined, scoring eight straight points to increase the margin to 11, 50-39, with 14:56 left.
 
After Johnson cut the Belmont lead to six, a timely Dia offensive rebound and second-chance 3-pointer from Jayce Willingham gave the Bruins a 53-44 advantage.
 
From there, more strong Belmont defense and rebounding coupled with a Davidson baseline 3-pointer and five Tyson points made the score 68-50 with 7:40 left.
 
All told, Belmont shot 50 percent (29-for-58) from the field and outscored Southern Illinois 38-32 in points in the paint.
 
Belmont limited Southern Illinois to 37 percent shooting.
 
Gillespie led two Belmont players in double figures. Tyson had 19 points and seven rebounds.
 
Dia had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists while Davidson and Willingham each scored eight.
 
Rogers had seven points and three assists.
 
Johnson led Southern Illinois (16-10, 8-7 MVC) with 17 points.
 
Belmont (15-11, 8-7 MVC) returns to game action Sunday at UIC.
 
NOTES: Belmont's 82 points tied the most scored in regulation against Southern Illinois this season, equaling James Madison and Drake earlier this season. Southern Illinois entered play leading the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring defense…Belmont limited Johnson to 8-for-28 shooting in the two games this season…Gillespie has been named the 'Game MVP' in three consecutive Belmont games by noted statistician Ken Pomeroy.

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 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