Belmont defense leads way vs. old rival Murray State in teams' first Missouri Valley battle
The Belmont basketball team ran into an old foe in its new conference Tuesday night.
The Bruins, who moved from the Ohio Valley Conference to the Missouri Valley this season, squared off against Murray State, which made the same move, and overcame a slow start to claim an 80-65 victory at Curb Event Center.
It was Belmont's largest margin of victory over Murray State since the two teams have been in the same conference. The win kept Belmont (14-6, 7-2) in a first place tie with Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley while Murray State (10-9, 5-4) slipped into eighth place.
The Bruins are second in the conference in scoring but relied on their defense to snap a two-game losing streak to the Racers.
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After the Racers took a 28-20 lead, Belmont slapped the clamps on, holding them to just six points over the next 13 minutes. Belmont eventually led 54-36 with 13:23 to play, and it was never close again.
Coach Casey Alexander said the Bruins playing better on offense helped ignite the defense.
"It was a little bit of everything; those ends of the floor always work together," Alexander said. "When you're scoring the ball your defense gets better. When you're getting stops you score the ball better."
Belmont held Murray State to 36.6% from the field (26-for-71). Belmont shot 49.2% (29-for-59).
Ben Sheppard, Belmont's only returning starter from last season, sparked the offense during the shutdown, scoring 15 of his game-high 23 points in that span.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Princeton transfer Drew Friberg later gave Belmont a 64-46 cushion with 8:10 left. Friberg finished with 14 points, including four 3s.
Rob Perry led Murray State with 14 points and five rebounds.
Brauns' blocks
Belmont's 6-foot-9 junior center, Even Brauns, posted a career-high six blocks. He got them midway through the second half.
Alexander said he believed Brauns had more blocks.
"He had two or three on several possessions," Alexander said. "He was a difference maker not only because of the plays that he made but the energy that he gave us. He got the crowd involved. I love to see him playing with that kind of confidence. He's really turned the corner for us."
Brauns' previous high was five against Ohio in the season opener on Nov. 11. He now has 30 blocks on the season.
Brauns also scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.
The rivalry
Belmont and Murray State met five times in the OVC tournament championship in the 10 seasons the two teams spent in the league. The Bruins won three of those titles.
Belmont now leads the series 12-6.
The Bruins have won five straight games and eight of their last nine. It was Murray State's third loss in the last four games.
Young guns
With only one starter back from last season, Belmont has depended heavily on young players this season and it’s starting to pay off.
The Bruins have had the last two Missouri Valley newcomers of the week in Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Cade Tyson.
Gillespie is a freshman guard who averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 assists in two games last week. Tyson is a freshman forward who averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in the two games the week before.
Tyson come into Tuesday's game as Belmont's second-leading scorer (12.9 ppg) and Gillespie was fourth (8.7). Gillespie finished with 12 points Tuesday and Tyson scored nine.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Belmont basketball defense vs. Murray State in first Missouri Valley meeting
