SUNDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 85, @Samford 73
@Austin Peay 98, Milligan 55
BELMONT 85, SAMFORD 73
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Behind a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds from Will Richard, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Samford, 85-73, Sunday.
Richard went 6-of-12 from the field, 9-of-10 from the free throw line and added two blocked shots and two steals.
Belmont (7-3) scored the first seven points of the game and never looked back. The Bruins unleashed relentless defensive pressure in the first half, as an avalanche of deflections and steals led to open court opportunities. A transition 3-pointer from JaCobi Wood made the score 18-5 six minutes in.
After Jaron Rillie got Samford within 22-14, Luke Smith capped a 13-0 Belmont run to increase the margin to 21, 35-14, with four minutes left in the first half. Belmont led 46-25 at halftime. Belmont forced 15 first-half turnovers, outscoring Samford, 28-4, in the paint in the opening 20 minutes.
Richard and Smith each made 3-pointers in the opening 90 seconds of the second half. Ques Glover and Jermaine Marshall gave Samford a bit of new life, but a backdoor layin from Ben Sheppard and consecutive 3-pointers from Smith and Caleb Hollander enabled Belmont to reestablish a 75-54 lead with 6:06 remaining.
All told, Belmont shot 53 percent (28-of-53) from the field – including 10-of-24 from 3-point distance.
In addition to Richard, Smith had 15 points, four assists and three steals. Sheppard had 13 points, four assists and three steals while Nick Muszynski had 12. Grayson Murphy flirted with his second career triple-double before finishing with eight points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.
Glover and Marshall each had 22 points for Samford (6-2).
AUSTIN PEAY 98, MILLIGAN 55
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Behind a stellar shooting performance, the Austin Peay men's basketball got back in the win column with a wire-to-wire 98-55 victory over Milligan on Sunday afternoon inside the Winfield Dunn Center.
The Govs shot a season-high 59 percent from the field on Sunday while going 12-of-28 from behind the three-point line. It's the fourth time in the last five games Austin Peay has registered double-digit three-pointers. From the free-throw line, the Govs shot 73.7 percent, marking the sixth time this season APSU has shot 70 percent or better from the charity stripe.
All five starters for the Govs finished in double figures led by redshirt senior Tariq Silver with 20 points. Silver was 7-of-9 from the field and matched a season-high with four three-pointers. The Clarksville native also had four assists to go along with two steals in 25 minutes of action. It's the second game this season Silver has reached 20 points and the sixth time in his career.
Behind Silver was redshirt freshman Caleb Stone-Carrawell with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Stone-Carrawell also had four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. It's the sixth consecutive game Stone-Carrawell has scored in double figures. Reaching double figures for the second time this season was junior Carlos Paez with 11 points. Paez scored nine of his 11 in the second half as the junior guard went 5-of-8 from the field.
The duo of freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett and junior Cameron Copeland each had 10 for the Govs. Hutchins-Everett was 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Copeland was 4-of-8 from the field while leading the Govs with a season-high seven rebounds. The starting five combined to score 68 of APSU's 98 total points.
Austin Peay registered a season-high 30 points off the bench led by junior Alec Woodard with 12. Woodard in his first game since Nov.9, was a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the three-point line. The Govs got key contributions off the bench as freshman Drew Calderon had six points followed by Corbin Merritt with five, Elton Walker with four, and Noel Scott with three.
On the defensive end, the Govs forced Milligan to commit 23 turnovers, scoring 38 points off of turnovers. Austin Peay outrebounded Milligan, 31-26 with each team grabbing nine offensive rebounds. APSU was off and running on Sunday, registering 20 fast-break points to Milligan's four.
It was a fast and furious start for the Govs who were playing their first home game since the season opener on Nov. 9. APSU made its first three field goals to take an 8-2 lead just three minutes into the game. During the first three-minute stretch, the Govs defense was on lockdown, forcing Milligan to commit four turnovers. The Govs ultimately went on a 13-2 run to widen their lead to double digits.
After a corner three from freshman Drew Calderon, the Govs held a 16-2 advantage with 15:20 remaining. The Govs began the game hitting six of their first seven field goals and was 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line. Five straight points from Tariq Silver as the 12:10 mark extended the Austin Peay lead to 23-6. Milligan responded with a 9-0 run of their own to trim the APSU lead down to single digits at the halfway point of the first half.
Later in the first half, the Govs extended their lead to 33-19 with 6:27 left to go, thanks to a 5-0 run highlighted by a fast-break dunk from Caleb Sonte-Carrawell. The double-digit lead didn't last for long as Milligan made four straight field goals to trim its deficit down to 35-24 with 4:43 remaining. To end the half, Austin Peay made four of its final five field goals to take a 50-36 into the locker room.
Senior Carlos Paez jumpstarted the Govs offense early in the second half, scoring nine of the first 19 points for the Govs. Austin Peay made five of its first seven field goals to begin the final 20 minutes of play en route to a 69-38 advantage. Leading 69-43 with 12 minutes remaining, APSU embarked on a 7-0 run to widen its lead. The 7-0 run was a part of a 20-5 run for the Govs that lasted over nine minutes.
Austin Peay continued to grow its lead late in the second half as Stone-Carrawell rattled off six straight points as part of a Govs 14-2 run to earn a 95-52 lead. The offense that was firing on all cylinders took its foot off the gas pedal late in the game as the Govs were held scoreless the final 2:17 en route to a convincing 98-55 victory.