Belmont tops Middle Tennessee 69-63 behind Egekeze
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Amanze Egekeze scored 24 points with six 3-pointers, Dylan Windler had a double-double, and Belmont beat Middle Tennessee 69-63 on Thursday night.
Mack Mercer's layup sparked a 12-2 run and Belmont led 50-36 early in the second half. Giddy Potts made a layup and 3-pointer amid an 11-0 run and the Blue Raiders retook the lead 56-52. After two more ties, Kevin McClain's two free throws sparked a 7-0 run and Middle Tennessee got no closer than four the rest of the way.
McClain scored 14 points and Windler had 11 with 10 rebounds for Belmont (2-1), which made 10 of 22 3-pointers and shot 45.3 percent from the floor.
Egekeze capped Belmont's opening 10-0 run with a 3-pointer, but the Blue Raiders rallied to a 16-5 lead on Potts' 3. The lead traded hands six more times before Austin Luke's layup with 37 seconds left in the first half and Belmont led 29-27 at halftime.
Nick King led the Blue Raiders (2-1) with 21 points and Potts had 11.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Tim Gattis
- Craig Murley
- Ray Natili
2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 2-0 | - | 8-4 |
| Drake | 1-0 | 0.5 | 11-0 |
| Bradley | 1-0 | 0.5 | 10-2 |
| Belmont | 1-0 | 0.5 | 9-3 |
| Northern Iowa | 1-0 | 0.5 | 7-5 |
| Murray State | 1-1 | 1 | 6-5 |
| Illinois State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 8-4 |
| UIC | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-4 |
| Missouri State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Valparaiso | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Southern Illinois | 0-1 | 1.5 | 5-7 |
| Evansville | 0-1 | 1.5 | 3-9 |
2024-25 Conference USA Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0-0 | - | 12-1 |
| Louisiana Tech | 0-0 | - | 11-2 |
| Middle Tennessee | 0-0 | - | 9-3 |
| UTEP | 0-0 | - | 9-3 |
| Western Kentucky | 0-0 | - | 9-3 |
| Jacksonville State | 0-0 | - | 7-5 |
| Kennesaw State | 0-0 | - | 7-5 |
| New Mexico State | 0-0 | - | 6-6 |
| Sam Houston | 0-0 | - | 6-6 |
| Florida International | 0-0 | - | 5-7 |
Men's College Basketball News
