SIU Edwardsville Cougars @ Belmont Bruins
Belmont pours in record 114 points to beat SIU-Edwardsville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Ben Sheppard and Luke Smith scored 18 points apiece and Belmont scored a program record for points defeating SIU-Edwardsville 114-62 on Saturday.
Belmont won its 13th consecutive game and is the lone unbeaten team in the Ohio Valley Conference after dispatching the Cougars, who entered the contest 2-0 after enduring a 33-day pause because of COVID-19 concerns.
Grayson Murphy added 14 points, Caleb Hollander scored 12 and JaCobi Wood had 11 for the Bruins. Belmont forced four turnovers in the first three minutes as 3-pointers from Smith and Sheppard sparked a 13-0 lead.
Sheppard hit 4 of 6 3-pointers as the Bruins made 17 from distance. Belmont set a season-high 29 assists and forced a season-high 24 turnovers.
Belmont dominated the first half and led 56-22 at the break, a season high.
Iziah James had 12 points off the bench for the Cougars (4-5, 2-1).
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
Nashville, TN
Referee:Brett Miles
Referee:James Gibson
Referee:Gabe Tucker
2025-26 Standings
| Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | 15-5 | - | 23-10 |
| Morehead State | 15-5 | - | 20-13 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 14-6 | 1 | 20-13 |
| UT Martin | 13-7 | 2 | 22-11 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 12-8 | 3 | 19-13 |
| Lindenwood | 11-9 | 4 | 18-15 |
| Little Rock | 9-11 | 6 | 12-20 |
| Tennessee Tech | 8-12 | 7 | 13-18 |
| Eastern Illinois | 8-12 | 7 | 13-20 |
| Southern Indiana | 4-16 | 11 | 7-23 |
| Western Illinois | 1-19 | 14 | 5-26 |
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
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