Peoria, IL -- Bradley topples first place Belmont in Monday night action.
In a game that saw high level shot making and big plays down the stretch, Bradley earned a 95-84 win over the Belmont Bruins in overtime.
The game lived up to its back-and-forth series history, featuring seven ties and 21 lead changes across 45 minutes. Belmont carried a slim 33-31 advantage into halftime after a cold shooting first half from their star guard Tyler Lundblade, despite his cold start Belmont led the battle on the boards and extended the lead early in the second half. However, Bradley would respond with a barrage from beyond the arc to flip the momentum. The Braves shot an incendiary 76.9 percent from three in the second half, erasing deficits and forcing overtime at 80-80.
Once in the extra period, it was all Bradley. The Braves outscored Belmont 15-4 in OT, leaning on clutch shot-making and timely trips to the free-throw line to seal the win. Bradley went 7-for-10 at the stripe in overtime, while Belmont managed just one field goal in six attempts.
Jaquan Johnson led all scorers with a dominant 31-point performance, knocking down six three-pointers, adding seven assists and three steals to lead Bradley. Alex Huibregtse was equally lethal from deep, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from three. Timoty van der Knaap chipped in 15 points and provided key baskets down the stretch as Bradley improved to 17-9 overall and 10-5 in MVC play.
Belmont was led by Drew Scharnowski, who posted 18 points and nine rebounds on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting night. Tyler Lundblade added 16 points, while Aidan Noyes provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, including four three-pointers. The Bruins owned the battle on the glass with a 46-34 rebounding edge and scored 38 bench points.
The loss drops Belmont to 22-4 overall and 12-3 in conference play, while Bradley continues to gain momentum as the MVC race tightens with five games remaining on the schedule. With a Murray State loss in later action Bradley once again moves into a tie for second place with the Murray State Racers. There is now a two game gap from second place to first and from fourth place to. Bradley will be back in action this upcoming Sunday Frebruary the 15th when they travel to Cardbondale, IL to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis at 1:00 p.m.