Belmont advances
to semi-finals
ISSUE: 02/28/07 > sports > Belmont advances to semi-finals
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Belmont moved one game closer to punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season, winning in the opening round of the A-Sun Conference Tournament.
Clinging to a 52-50 lead with 9:24 remaining in the game, No. 2 seed Belmont caught fire, ripping off 19 straight points en route to a 79-61 win over No. 7 seed Gardner-Webb. The Bruins continued their recent hot shooting by knocking down 59 percent from the floor (26-for-44) and converting 52 percent from beyond the arc (11-for-21) to win for the fifth consecutive time.
Solid shooting from all Bruins gave Belmont an early 22-8 lead before a 20-11 Bulldog run made the score 33-28 at halftime. The Bruins pushed the lead out to 14 once again in the second half. But the Bulldogs scrapped to within 2, making it 52-50 with little over nine minutes remaining before the Bruins’ 19-0 run made a close game seem like a blowout.
Five Bruins scored in double figures. Belmont was led by junior 1st team All-Atlantic Sun selection Justin Hare’s 14. Sophomore forward Matthew Dotson rediscovered his shooting touch by putting up 13 off of 3-for-5 three-point shooting. Senior post Andrew Preston tallied his first double-double of his career with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Sharpshooters Josh Goodwin and Andy Wicke chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively off a combined 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Bruins will play No. 6 seed Campbell in the semi-final round after the Camels upset No. 4 seed Jacksonville 90-85 in overtime. Game time is set for 8:15 p.m. Friday evening.
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