Men’s basketball team blown out by unbeaten Bruins

Adam Tumino, Editor-in-Chief

Belmont extended a number of winning streaks in its 89-61 victory against the Eastern men’s basketball team Thursday night.

The Bruins have now won nine games in a row over Eastern, 16 in a row this season and 25-straight conference games dating back to last season.

Eastern snapped an eight-game losing streak in their last game, but were unable to start a winning streak of their own and are now 3-10 in OVC play.

The game started off well for the Panthers. After Belmont took the lead with a three-pointer on its first possession, Eastern went on an 8-0 run to grab the lead.

But 1 minute and 2 three pointers later, Belmont was back on top. The Bruins would not relinquish their lead again, even extended their lead to 32 points late in the second half.

The Eastern offense did not necessarily have a bad night shooting, going 25-of-61 from the field. They struggled from three-point range, where they went 7-of-25.

Belmont shot an even 50 percent from the field and went 13-of-31 from three, with 8 of the three pointers coming in the first half.

An issue for Eastern at times throughout the season has been turnovers, and that was an issue against Belmont as well.

The Panthers turned the ball over 16 times while only forcing 9 turnovers from Belmont.

The problem was exacerbated by Belmont’s ability to capitalize on Eastern’s mistakes, scoring 18 points off of turnovers. The Bruins also outscored the Panthers 24-0 on fast breaks.

Individually, Eastern was led in scoring by senior guard Marvin Johnson with a game-high 15 points. He also led the team with 8 assists and tied for second on the team with 6 rebounds.

The only other Eastern player to score in double figures was junior forward Barlow Alleruzzo with 11 points.

Sophomore forward Madani Diarra set a new season high with 11 rebounds and also scored 6 points.

Belmont was led by Ben Sheppard with 14 points and Mitch Listau with 13 points. Three other Belmont players also scored in double figures.

Eastern plays again Saturday against Tennessee State in Lantz Arena. The Tigers are in last place in the OVC with a conference record of 2-11, with one of those wins coming against Eastern Jan. 23.

The game tips off at 4 p.m.

 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].