Men's Basketball Secures MVC Regular Season Championship on Senior Night
- Reece Leddy
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Belmont secured the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship Saturday night, defeating Indiana State at the Curb Event Center.
Before tipoff, the university honored its senior players Tyler Lundblade, Nic McClain, Aidan Noyes, Jake Dykstra and Keith Robbins during senior night ceremonies.
The game opened with Belmont scoring the first three baskets.
Despite Belmont’s quick start, Indiana State kept pace early and took a brief 25-24 lead with under seven minutes remaining in the first half.
It marked the final time the Sycamores held the lead in the game. After that, momentum was all on the Bruins side. Belmont was able to put up 14 more points without letting the Sycamores get another basket closing the half 39-25.
Sophomore forward Sam Orme opened the second half with a slam dunk getting his first points of the match.
Shortly after, junior guard Isaiah West, who led the team in rebounds and assists, found sophomore forward Drew Scharnowski for a slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
The basket marked Scharnowski’s 20th career game scoring in double figures.In the final four minutes of the game, head coach Casey Alexander subbed seniors Jake Dykstra and Keith Robbins into the game.
Less than a minute later, Robbins connected from beyond the arc for a 3-pointer. Dykstra followed less than 30 seconds later with another 3-pointer, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The game closed out with Belmont’s bench players adding to the scoring as the Bruins secured an 87-70 lead.Immediately after the Belmont Bruins were presented the trophy for their first Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship.
Lundblade carried the trophy to the student section where fans clung to the media table dividing the fans from the players. The table shook and pushed forward as students and fans high-fived and cheered for the newly crowned conference champions.
Later, the seniors stood arm in arm as they shared a moment together with the trophy.
Senior night belonged to the veterans, but freshman guard Jack Smiley finished as the team’s leading scorer with 18 points.
“Those guys come to work every single day in practice. They’ve been great mentors to me on and off the court, teaching me what Belmont is,” Smiley said.
Smiley later pointed to senior guard Nic McClain as a key mentor, saying, “It’s hard not to say Nick, just because we’re in the same position. When he went down, he kind of really talked me into things and helped me learn the game a little more.”
McClain, whom Smiley credited as a mentor, will miss the remainder of the season, Alexander confirmed after the game.
With the regular season championship secured it marks the first regular season championship for the team since 2021, when it was in the Ohio Valley Conference.
“The only thing that matters is the celebration for a great accomplishment,” Alexander said “For those of us who were here in the beginning, it’s just been a lot of work, so it’s super gratifying. In a lot of ways, it’s a relief.”
This article was written by Reece Leddy
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