Belmont University’s men’s basketball team secured a notable comeback victory over Murray State, winning 87-70 at the CFSB Center on Sunday night. After trailing by 19 points early in the second half, Belmont outscored Murray State 63-31 in the final period to claim its 11th win in the last 12 games and maintain its lead in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
The Bruins now have 13 wins away from home this season, more than UCLA, Texas, and SMU combined. With a total of 24 victories, Belmont is tied for third-most wins nationally alongside Michigan, UConn, Saint Louis, and High Point.
The first half was dominated by Murray State, who led 39-24 at halftime. Belmont struggled offensively in the opening period, shooting just 31 percent from the field and making only three of ten attempts from beyond the arc. However, after falling behind 45-26 with just over eighteen minutes left to play, Belmont began to find its rhythm.
A series of baskets by Drew Scharnowski, Tyler Lundblade, and Jack Smiley sparked a run that erased the deficit within five minutes. A three-pointer by Lundblade gave Belmont its first lead since early in the game. From there, Smiley contributed significantly on both ends of the floor as Belmont extended its advantage.
In the second half alone, Belmont shot 69 percent from the field and made seven of ten three-point attempts. The team also went nearly perfect from the free throw line and dominated inside scoring and points off turnovers while holding Murray State to just 33 percent shooting after halftime.
Jack Smiley led four Bruins in double figures with a career-high 21 points along with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Eoin Dillon added 19 points and a career-best eight rebounds; Sam Orme had 16 points and seven rebounds; Lundblade finished with twelve points. For Murray State (19-9 overall), KJ Tenner scored a team-high 21 points.
Belmont has now won eleven of its last fourteen meetings against Murray State—including seven out of eight contests since joining Missouri Valley Conference play—and has taken three consecutive games at CFSB Center by a combined margin of fifty-seven points.
With an overall record of 24-4 (14-3 MVC), Belmont will next face Indiana State on February 21.
Season tickets covering all men’s and women’s home basketball games are available through belmontbruins.com/tickets. Fans interested in joining Bruin Club can contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu.
Over recent years, Belmont men’s basketball has consistently reached postseason play—including nine NCAA Tournament appearances—and captured twenty conference championships since 2006. The program has achieved at least twenty wins for sixteen straight seasons and produced multiple NBA Draft picks within six years while leading Division I schools with nineteen Academic All-America selections since 2001.
