Men's Basketball Earns Convincing Victory at Murray State

MURRAY, Ky. - - In a purposeful performance from start to finish, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Murray State, 83-61, Wednesday night from the CFSB Center.
 
Strong early scoring, rebounding and extra effort plays from Cade Tyson set the tone for the Bruins, as his 3-pointer off a feed from Isaiah Walker gave Belmont a 15-9 lead.
 
Moments later, Brigham Rogers delivered an offensive rebound and assist to Ja'Kobi Gillespie for a 3-pointer. Gillespie added a jump shot to extend the lead to 20-11 nine minutes in.
 
Belmont's defensive attentiveness and offensive execution neutralized the Murray State crowd, as the Bruins methodically took control of the game.
 
Two Malik Dia baskets followed by drives from Tyson and Gillespie made the score 28-18.
 
Rob Perry carried the Murray State scoring, but Belmont continued to find Dia for high percentage shots and he delivered.
 
Six straight Dia points helped Belmont lead 38-30 at halftime.
 
Belmont shot 52 percent (15-for-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes – including 5-for-12 from 3-point distance.
 
The Bruins held Murray State without any second chance points in the first half while limiting top post scorer Nick Ellington to one field goal attempt.
 
A determined Dia scored two straight baskets in the first 36 seconds of the second half to extend the lead to 12, 42-30, and force a Murray State timeout.
 
Murray State would get as close as eight points, but consecutive 3-pointers from Jayce Willingham and Keishawn Davidson helped maintain a double-figure advantage.
 
The Racers tried to change momentum through defensive adjustments and extended pressure, but the Bruins showcased poise and high levels of performance throughout.
 
Moreover, Belmont stayed together defensively, forcing turnovers and contested shots.
 
Gillespie, Dia and Tyson accounted for an 11-0 run that broke the game open and gave the Bruins a 68-48 lead with 6:58 left.
 
Willingham would add a second-chance jump hook before Gillespie found Dia for a transition alley oop slam to make the score 72-50.
 
Tyson added two more 3-pointers before a Rogers make from long distance and a Keith Robbins blocked shot helped close the game.
 
All told, Belmont shot 53 percent (32-for-60) from the field – including 12-for-26 from 3-point distance.
 
Belmont outrebounded Murray State, 34-31, and outscored the Racers in the paint, 40-30.
 
Dia led four Belmont players in double figures with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Tyson recorded his first double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Davidson had 13 points and four assists. Gillespie had 11 points and five assists.
 
Perry led Murray State (12-18, 9-10 MVC) with 14 points.
 
Belmont earned a season sweep over Murray State and fourth victory since 2017 at the CFSB Center.
 
Belmont has won six of its last seven games.
 
Belmont (18-12, 11-8 MVC) returns to game action Sunday vs. Evansville.
 
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