Bruins one game away
from NCAA Berth
ISSUE: 02/28/07 > sports > Belmont advances to ASUN finals
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. –No. 2 seed Belmont advanced to the A-Sun Tournament Championship by finally closing out No. 6 seed Campbell 79-63 in the semifinal round. The Bruins used a late second half surge, outscoring the Camels 21-6 en route to the double-digit win.
Earlier in the evening, No. 1 seed ETSU staved off a furious Lipscomb comeback to win 77-72. Belmont will meet ETSU in the Conference Championship Saturday at 3 p.m. with a ticket to the NCAA Tournament awaiting the winner.
Coach Rick Byrd reminded his players and the media that the regular season, one in which Belmont finished runner-up to ETSU, does not matter now with one game remaining in the tournament.
ETSU earned the conference win, Byrd said, “but it doesn’t put any more points on the board for them [Saturday}.”
Four Belmont players scored in double figures in the Bruins semifinal win. Junior Justin Hare paced the Bruins with 13 points. The first-team All-Atlantic Sun selection knocked down three key triples to stave off a couple Campbell runs.
Belmont raced to a 32-17 lead with four-and-a half minutes remaining in the first half off eight Andrew Preston points. However, Campbell regrouped in time to decrease the lead to 11 points, 41-30, at halftime. Belmont stifled Campbell’s offensive attack by holding the Camels to 32 percent shooting (9-for-28) in the first half.
Early in the second half, the Bruins extended their lead to 13 points, 45-32, off a Boomer Herndon basket. Campbell responded by going on a 14-7 run over the next four minutes to make it a 52-46 game with 14 minutes remaining. Clinging to a 58-51 lead, Belmont put the offense into high gear as the Bruins went on a 21-6 tear to take a commanding 79-57 lead with four minutes left. Belmont then went into cruise control en route to the win.
Belmont’s post play factored greatly into the win as Herndon and Preston each scored 12 points off a combined 11-for-14 shooting. Sophomore guard Henry Harris chipped in 10 points.
Overall, Belmont shot 46 percent from the floor (28-for-61) while holding Campbell to 39 percent (20-for-52). Even though the Bruins were rather cool from three-point range (28 percent), they still nailed seven triples. Belmont’s bench outscored Campbell’s 40-16.
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