Due to technical difficulties, this week we bring you Bruin Blitz in written form.
Over winter break, the men’s and women’s basketball teams battled through their tough non-conference schedules and tipped-off conference on New Year’s Eve.
Fast forward to Jan. 14, the teams entered a rival Murray State doubleheader with the men holding a strong 4-0 record and the women down 1-2.
An 87-61 win over the Racers put them at .500. Sophomore guard Kylie Smith lead the team in scoring with 23 points.
The men’s team also outlasted the Racers in a tight 81-73 win. Strong second-half play was the difference-maker for the Bruins. Also, work from Evan Bradds contributed as he tallied a 23-point and 10-rebound double-double.
The teams then geared up for another doubleheader in the Curb facing Austin Peay. This time it was the women’s team with the nail biter. Freshman Guard Darby Maggard lead with 24 points in the Bruins’ 88-82 victory.
Following the close contest, the men’s team continued the momentum scoring 10 first half 3-pointers and held on to win 76-58.
Back to the women’s side. Belmont extended its win streak to four with a low-scoring road victory against Jacksonville State Wednesday night.
The men’s team extended their undefeated conference season with an 82-72 win over UT Martin on the road. Sophomore forward Amanze Egekeze led all scorers with 20 points.
Now moving to a different court, it’s officially tennis season.
The men’s team went undefeated at the VCU 4-1 Invitational defeating Howard 5-0. The Bruins won their doubles matchup and swept the 4 singles rounds.
Unfortunately, the women’s team was unable to overcome a tough Middle Tennessee State team and lost 6-1 in the season opener.
Indoor track and field kicked off its indoor season over the weekend with the Commodore Invitational at Vanderbilt.
The men’s team tallied 15 top-20 finishes while the women garnered eight.
Junior Del McSpadden picked up his first OVC Indoor Field Athlete of the Week honor for his 5th place finish in the weight throw.
In other news…
The league recognized Smith and Maggard’s stellar play for the women’s basketball team and named them OVC Newcomer of the Week and Freshman of the Week respectively.
Also, senior guard Craig Bradshaw was announced as a candidate for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS award for basketball. The award winners will be announced during the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Coming up in sports…
The basketball teams return home for a doubleheader against crosstown rival Tennessee State on Saturday. The men play first at 5 p.m. and the women follow at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.
Update: Due to the snowfall on Friday, the basketball doubleheader has been moved to Sunday. The women will tip-off at 2 p.m. and the men will follow at 4 p.m.
The women’s tennis team is on the road again. This time, they face in-state competition at the University of Tennessee. The match is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday.
We apologize for the technical difficulties and hope to be back for an all new episode at belmontvision.com next Friday.
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Go Bruins.