Second Half Leads Men's Basketball Past Southern Illinois

CARBONDALE, Ill. - - Behind an inspired second half performance, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Southern Illinois, 73-68, Saturday from the Banterra Center.
 
Carter Whitt, Jonathan Pierre, and Tyler Lundblade combined to score 40 second-half points as Belmont turned around a 14-point deficit.
 
Belmont won a Missouri Valley Conference-leading eighth true road game.
 
Belmont and Southern Illinois played a highly-entertaining game in Nashville Jan. 8 and this meeting likewise proved to be a tale of two halves.
 
A Drew Scharnowski conventional 3-point play and an Aidan Noyes 3-pointer made the score 13-11 seven minutes in.
 
3-pointers from Brody Peebles and Lundblade got Belmont within 22-18
 
But baskets from Davion Sykes and Ali Dibba capped an 8-0 Southern Illinois run which gave the Salukis a 30-18 lead.
 
Peebles scored seven straight points to help Belmont's offense during a difficult first-half stretch, but baskets from Sykes and Sheridan Sharp gave Southern Illinois a 38-25 halftime lead.
 
Belmont shot 30 percent (9-for-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes – including 4-for-12 from 3-point distance.
 
Southern Illinois had 12 assists on 16 first-half field goals.
 
Belmont got 16 bench points in the first half to stay within striking distance.
 
A change in momentum was needed to start the second half and the Bruins got it on both ends.
 
A flurry of deflections, steals and blocked shots led to increased pace. Whitt scored eight points in the first 3:29 of the second half as Belmont closed within 38-35.
 
After two Jarrett Hensley free throws, Lundblade proceeded to make four 3-point field goals in a two-minute span to give Belmont a 47-42 lead with 13:38 left.
 
Belmont was the clear aggressor to start the second half and it had taken control of the game; it was a dramatic turn of events as a sense of surprise and uneasiness came over the Banterra Center crowd.
 
Southern Illinois went over five minutes without a field goal to open the second half and had only two baskets the first 12 and a half minutes of the second half.
 
The Bruins forced turnovers and secured rebounds of contested shots as confidence and a working margin grew.
 
Consecutive paint scores from Scharnowski and Aidan Noyes, and a Brigham Rogers slam off a Whitt feed increased the Belmont lead to nine, 55-46, with 8:57 remaining.

Southern Illinois got five points from Drew Steffe to get within 62-56, but Belmont's top scorers delivered down the stretch.
 
A Lundblade second-chance 3-pointer off a Rogers offensive rebound and determined scores from Whitt and Pierre made the score 66-58 with 2:22 left.
 
Then after another defensive stop, Isaiah Walker scored another layin off a second chance opportunity to increase the margin to 68-58 with 1:20 remaining.
 
All told, Belmont shot 59 percent (17-for-29) in the second half – including 7-for-14 from 3-point distance.
 
The Bruins valued the basketball, committing six turnovers in a physical road game.
 
Lundblade led four Belmont players in double figure with 19 points. Whitt had 17 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
 
Pierre and Peebles each scored 10.
 
Dibba led Southern Illinois (12-15, 7-9 MVC) with 24 points.
 
Belmont (18-9, 10-6 MVC) returns to game action Wednesday vs. Northern Iowa.

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.