The Belmont men’s basketball team lost its fourth straight matchup against Jacksonville State 83-73 on Thursday.
The Bruins are now 0-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
The Bruins struggled from the start, only leading for one minute in the entire game. The team couldn’t connect threes early on, while the Gamecocks went 4 for 5 from the 3-point line in the first 10 minutes to take an early 18-10 lead.
Jacksonville State went into the half with a hefty lead over Belmont at 40-32.
In the second half, the Bruins started to fight with help from seniors Dylan Windler and Kevin McClain, cutting the Gamecocks lead to 64-62 with four minutes left.
Windler had another great game, picking up 23 points and shooting 3-6 at the 3-point line.
McClain showed great athleticism and footwork in the paint as he scored 21 and picked up six assists.
But the Gamecocks were relentless and continued to drive the ball to the baseline to pick up the easy two points.
Jacksonville State had 15 offensive rebounds, which allowed the team to add to its lead and cut Belmont’s rallies short.
Toward the end of the game, Belmont failed to complete layups, and coach Rick Byrd received a technical foul which helped solidify the Gamecocks’ win.
With Thursday’s loss, the Bruins record fell to 9-3, as they get ready to face Tennessee Tech on Saturday at the Curb Event Center at 7 p.m..