(MURRAY, Ky.) — Belmont erased a 19-point second-half road deficit to defeat Murray State 87-70 Sunday night.
The Racers built a 45-26 lead in the second half before the Bruins mounted their comeback. Belmont took its first lead at 52-50 with 12:15 remaining and never trailed again. KJ Tenner led Murray State with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three-point range. Javon Jackson also scored 21 points but required 17 field goal attempts. JJ Traynor added seven points and Roman Domon contributed eight off the bench.
Jack Smiley paced Belmont with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Eoin Dillon added 19 points and Sam Orme scored 16. Five Bruins scored in double figures. Murray State’s last field goal came with 2:26 remaining, a three-pointer by Mason Miller that cut the deficit to 79-68. The Racers scored just two points over the final 2:26, both from the free-throw line. Belmont shot 51.7 percent from the field (30-of-58) and 45.5 percent from three-point range (10-of-22). The Bruins shot 68.8 percent in the second half. Murray State shot 38.3 percent overall (23-of-60) and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc (11-of-32).
The Racers shot 33.3 percent in the second half after shooting 43.3 percent in the first half. The Racers won the rebounding battle 35-28 but committed 20 turnovers to Belmont’s 17. Murray State converted 13-of-21 free throws (61.9 percent) while Belmont made 17-of-20 (85.0 percent). Fred King fouled out for Murray State after playing 19 minutes. Tyler Lundblade recorded four assists for Belmont.
Murray State’s largest lead was 19 points. Belmont’s largest lead was also 19 points, coming in the final minute at 87-68. The Racers fall to 19-9, 11-6 while Belmont improves to 24-4, 14-3 MVC.
