Date Posted: 2/22/2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In front of the third largest crowd in Curb Event Center history, Belmont Basketball showcased its deep bench and intestinal fortitude in grinding out a hard earned 74-65 victory over Lipscomb Friday night.

The 122nd installment of the 'Battle of the Boulevard' series was expected to be an uptempo affair; with vast perimeter talent on both sides and on the heels of a double overtime classic waged on Jan. 12 which saw Belmont claim a 99-91 victory.

However, early on, the Bruins' shooting touch was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Lipscomb made its first three shots from the floor. When Eddie Ard sank a short jumper in front of the Bruin bench to give the Bisons a 7-0 lead two minutes in, Belmont head coach Rick Byrd called a quick timeout.

Though senior Justin Hare (Cleveland, Tenn.) supplied a three-pointer out of the timeout to get Belmont on the board, the frigid long range shooting continued. In fact, two driving layups from junior Alex Renfroe (Hermitage, Tenn.) would represent Belmont's lone field goals over a 10 minute span.

A Brandon Brown layin put Lipscomb ahead 19-9 midway through the first half, bringing cheers from the Bisons' contingent.

Trailing 21-11 with 6:14 in the half, the Bruins mustered a late charge. Spurred by lively team defense and huge bench contributions, Belmont turned the tide.

After a trey from junior Matthew Dotson (Centerville, Tenn.), junior Henry Harris (Nashville, Tenn.) buried a baseline three-pointer to inch Belmont within 21-19 with 3:30 in the half.

Following another defensive stop, Renfroe sliced in for a driving layin to tie the score at 21. Harris would provide a key offensive rebound putback before a straight on three-pointer from freshman Jon House (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) pushed Belmont in front, 26-22, with 1:16 left.

After an Adnan Hodzic basket, Dotson rimmed home a three-pointer right before the first half horn to send the partisan crowd into a frenzy and the Bruins to the locker room up five, 29-24.

Related Links:
 • Full Article at BelmontBruins.com
 • Lipscomb-Belmont Box Score