Belmont could get a bye in Missouri Valley Conference after thrilling win over Indiana State
Belmont basketball wrapped up the home portion of its inaugural regular season in the Missouri Valley Conference in thrilling fashion Thursday by staging a frantic rally to beat Indiana State 89-88.
Senior Ben Sheppard made two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to seal the victory and give the Bruins some much-needed momentum heading into the conference tournament (March 2-5).
The Bruins (20-10, 13-6), who came into the game tied for fourth in the league, moved into a third-place tie with Indiana State (20-10, 13-6) and Southern Illinois (21-10, 13-6).
Belmont rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit by finally clicking offensively in the second half.
The Bruins relied on the 3-pointer to spark the rally. After making a total of four 3s in the first half Belmont made five in the first six minutes of the second half.
Sheppard injured his right hand and was held to four points in the first half. He recovered quickly during the intermission and made back-to-back 3s in the first four minutes of the second half, the second cutting the Sycamores' lead to 58-51.
Indiana State was still up 86-81 when Sheppard got free for a layup to cut it to 86-83. Then with 2.5 seconds left, Sheppard was going for a loose ball when Indiana State's Julian Larry crashed into him.
That sent Sheppard to the line where he made both free throws.
"Those were two super pressure-packed free throws, especially on a night like this when it's Senior Night," Sheppard said. "After halftime, when we got pounded in the first half, we were just like, 'We're going to get the job done,' and I knew I had to hit those two free throws. So I just locked in, focused in and hit them."
Sheppard had a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds. He now has 1,489 career points and has the chance to become the 10th Bruin to score 1,500 points.
Belmont outscored Indiana State 19-7 in the final five minutes.
Belmont made 12-of-32 3-pointers while Indiana State made 9-of-25.
Xavier Bledsoe, in his first start, scored a game-high 20 points for the Sycamores.
First-round bye
The win kept Belmont in contention for a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The top four teams in the league earn a bye and the Bruins will finish in the top four if they beat Northern Iowa (13-16, 9-10), which is in eighth place, Sunday in the final regular season game on the road.
Belmont earned its 20th win for the 13th consecutive season. The only other teams that have done that are Gonzaga and Kansas.
NBA scouts
NBA scouts from three teams were at the game.
The scouts were from the Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards.
They were there to check on Sheppard and freshman Cade Tyson, who had 13 points and two rebounds.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Belmont basketball may get a bye in Missouri Valley Conference
