Men's Basketball Defeats Toledo to Win Coconut Hoops Championship

FORT MYERS, Fla. - - Behind a season-high 22 points from Tyler Lundblade, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Toledo, 87-72, Wednesday in the championship game of GEICO Coconut Hoops from Alico Arena.
 
Lundblade added four assists and three rebounds, making 11 3-point field goals over the two-game event to earn Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
 
In a game featuring top of the nation's most efficient and high-scoring offenses, early action was instead characterized by disjointed play and turnovers.
 
Lundblade and Sam Orme combined to score Belmont's first 13 points, and after scores from Eoin Dillon and Nic McClain, Drew Schnarowski threw down a ferocious left-hand slam to give the Bruins a 19-11 lead midway through the first half.
 
Belmont held Toledo scoreless for over five minutes, before a scramble play 3-pointer from Jaylan Ouwinga, the first 3-pointer of post player Austin Parks' career, and a transition 3-pointer from Sonny Wilson gave the Rockets a brief 20-19 lead.
 
Belmont closed the first half on a 9-3 run, as 3-pointers from Lundblade, Jack Smiley, and Bez Jenkins gave the Bruins a 36-33 halftime lead.
 
Belmont forced 10 Toledo turnovers in the first half.
 
An Orme layin off a McClain feed got Belmont going to open the second half, before the play of Parks and Leroy Blyden provided a Toledo response.
 
In fact, the game featured 12 ties and nine lead changes as Orme caught fire midway through the second half to push Belmont to a 61-56 lead with 11:23 left.
 
After Kyler Vanderjagt tied the score at 61, Belmont locked in and took control down the stretch.
 
Behind high-level execution, shotmaking, and defensive connectedness, Belmont went on a major run.
 
A Drew Scharnowski baseline layin, a Lundblade 3-pointer, and an Isaiah West layin pushed the margin to seven, 68-61, and prompted a Toledo timeout.
 
From there, Orme scored a tip-in basket to increase the lead to nine.
 
Toledo closed within seven points on three occasions, but Belmont provided the answer.
 
Lundblade's fifth 3-pointer made the score 79-69 at the under four timeout.
 
After two Belmont defensive stops, Jenkins made a left wing 3-pointer and added a second chance driving basket to extend the Belmont lead to 84-69 with 1:51 left.
 
Belmont got nine of out 10 defensive stops in the last six minutes before Blyden's 3-pointer provided the final margin.
 
Belmont's second half was truly something – 21-for-31 from the field, 9-for-13 from 3-point distance, 11 assists, and a 22-to-6 rebound margin.
 
Lundblade led four Belmont players in double figures with 22 points. Orme had 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Jenkins contributed 12 points and five rebounds.
 
Brigham Rogers had 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Sean Craig led Toledo (4-3) with 17 points.
 
It marked Belmont head coach Casey Alexander's second championship at Alico Arena; he led Lipscomb to the 2018 ASUN Championship and NCAA Tournament.
 
With the victory, Belmont opens the season 7-0 for the first time since its 37-2 season of 1994-95.
 
Belmont (7-0) returns to game action Sunday, Nov. 30 at College of Charleston. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT from famed TD Arena.
 
Belmont season tickets – which include the entire men's and women's basketball home schedule – are on sale now at belmontbruins.com/tickets. 
 
To become a Bruin Club member, contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu.
 
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 15 consecutive seasons (alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and Oregon) and 19 or more games in 20 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 six 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 10 consecutive seasons.