Men's Basketball Defeats Missouri State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Behind a career-high 27 points from Tyler Lundblade, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Missouri State, 85-68, Saturday from the Curb Event Center.
 
Lundblade, after his heroic eight 3-point field goal performance Wednesday at Bradley, went 9-for-15 from 3-point distance.
 
The Bruins handed out a season-high 30 assists on 34 made field goals – including a Curb Event Center record 15 assists from Carter Whitt.
 
Missouri State, which went 7-4 in the non-conference and had taken Drake and Northern Iowa right to the end, entered playing some of its best basketball of the season.
 
Four Lundblade 3-pointers and baskets from Isaiah Walker and Brody Peebles sparked Belmont to a 23-11 lead eight minutes into the game.
 
Belmont forced six early turnovers which led to open court scoring opportunities.
 
Peebles and Aidan Noyes provided quality bench production for the Bruins, before Dez White helped Missouri State work back into the game.
 
A White basket and a Jalen Hampton tip-in tied the score at 37 with 3:58 left in the first half.
 
Lundblade made his fifth 3-pointer of the first half to give Belmont a 45-44 lead at halftime.
 
Belmont shot 62 percent (18-for-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes – including 8-for-11 from 3-point distance.
 
A Lundblade 3-pointer and a Brigham Rogers driving slam made the score 50-46 with 17:36 left.
 
Vincent Brady scored five points to put Missouri State on top before more timely contributions from Walker and Noyes allowed Belmont to regain the lead.
 
Whitt, in particular, demonstrated outstanding timing and precision on his passing to Belmont cutters or Lundblade for 3-point shots.
 
3-pointers from Lundblade and Walker increased the Belmont lead to nine, 67-58, with 9:17 remaining.
 
Zaxton King scored a putback basket to get Missouri State within two points before Peebles made a baseline 3-pointer on Belmont's next possession.
 
The Peebles' shot sparked a 13-0 run over a four-minute span, as Lundblade's ninth 3-pointer and two Rogers baskets pushed Belmont to an 80-65 lead with 2:04 left.
 
All told, Belmont shot 59 percent (34-for-58) from the field – including 16-for-27 from 3-point distance.
 
The Bruins had 11 steals and scored 23 points off turnovers.
 
Lundblade led five Belmont players in double figures with 27 points. His 3-point performance was one shy of the Curb Event Center record (10, Andy Wicke & Nick Smith).
 
Walker had 18 points, while Rogers provided 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a career-high six steals.
 
Peebles and Noyes each scored 11.
 
Beyond Whitt's 15 assists – which was one shy of Grayson Murphy's NCAA Division I era single-game record - Pierre added eight assists of his own.
 
Hampton led Missouri State (8-17, 1-13 MVC) with 20 points.
 
Belmont (17-8, 9-5 MVC) returns to game action Wednesday at Valparaiso.
 
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.