MONDAY'S SCORES
@#24 Clemson,
Morehead State
Belmont 72, @Evansville 63
@Austin Peay 74, Murray State 70
#24 CLEMSON 66, MOREHEAD STATE 51
CLEMSON, S.C. - Morehead State men's basketball hung tight with No. 24 Clemson for a majority of the first half Monday afternoon, but a six-minute field goal drought - coupled with a 15-0 Tiger run during that time - spelled trouble as the Eagles ultimately fell 66-51 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Morehead State finished its non-conference portion of the schedule at 4-6 overall (1-2 in OVC games so far). Clemson, which entered the game at No. 24 but dropped out when rankings came out at halftime, moved to 6-1 in 2020-21.
Junior guard Skyelar Potter hit a career-best five three-pointers and led the Eagles with a career-high 22 points on the day, including 16 in the second half. It marked his sixth double-figure game and fourth straight. Clemson pulled away by virtue of a 10-of-27 day shooting the three-pointer.
BELMONT 72, EVANSVILLE 63
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Behind balanced scoring and opportunistic defense, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Evansville, 72-63, Monday.
In their first game at the Ford Center since cutting the nets after winning the OVC Championship, the Bruins showcased poise and resolve in a gutsy road win.After scoring the game's first two field goals, Belmont endured a seven-minute dry spell in which the hosts scored 14 unanswered points.
However, from there, junior Grayson Murphy capped a 15-2 response as Belmont took a 19-16 lead 14 minutes in. Outstanding bench contributions from freshman JaCobi Wood and sophomore EJ Bellinger pushed the run to 26-5 over nine minutes as the Bruins led 30-19.
Following a Bellinger wing 3-pointer, Shamar Givance banked a desperation 35-footer as the first half horn sounded to make the score 36-27 at halftime. Belmont (8-1) shot 54 percent (13-for-24) from the field in the opening 20 minutes while forcing nine Evansville turnovers.
Junior Luke Smith once again jumpstarted the Belmont offense with a 3-pointer to open second half scoring. The Bruins rode strong inside finishes from Murphy, Wood and junior Nick Muszynski to maintain a double figure lead.
However, free throws and the play of Samari Curtis kept Evansville within reach. A Jawaun Newton basket got Evansville within 66-61 with 2:33 left.
Belmont would answer as Murphy found Smith along the baseline for a layin to increase the Bruin lead to seven. Belmont made four free throws in the final 47 seconds to secure the victory.
All told, Belmont shot 55 percent (26-for-47) from the field and outscored Evansville, 44-16, in the paint. The Bruins forced 20 turnovers.
Wood led four Bruins in double figures with 18 points. Smith had 14, Muszynski 11 and Murphy 10.
Curtis led Evansville (2-4) with 19 points.
Belmont has won 20 of its last 21 games.
AUSTIN PEAY 74, MURRAY STATE 70
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Terry Taylor had 30 points and 13 rebounds as Austin Peay avenged a 30-point loss from 13 days ago with a 74-70 win over rival Murray State.
Murray State (4-3, 1-1 OVC) led by 10 points in the first half and went into halftime with a 39-33 advantage after shooting 62.5 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
The Racers were once again up 10 (55-45) with 12:21 to play before Austin Peay (5-3, 1-1 OVC) used a 16-5 run over the next five minutes to take a one-point lead on a jumper by Taylor. MSU would tie the game but another Taylor bucket put Austin Peay on top for good.
DJ Peavy added 11 points for the Govs while Ta'reon Joseph added 10 points.
Tevin Brown had 18 points for the Racers while Justice Hill added 17.