The Belmont men’s basketball team beat Western Kentucky 80-74 on Wednesday night at the Curb Event Center, just four days after the Bruins’ historic win against UCLA.
The win was Belmont’s fifth in a row against Western Kentucky.
The Bruins were able to jump on the Hilltoppers early and led for most of the first half, ending the half with a score of 42-28.
But Western Kentucky’s players did not let the score stop them, going on a 13-0 run in the middle of the second half that cut Belmont’s lead to 6 points — at 57-51 — with 11 minutes left in the game.
Hilltopper freshman and NBA prospect Charles Bassey was a huge factor in this pushback, earning a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Help from Belmont freshman Grayson Murphy at the 3-point line was one of the determining factors in the Bruins’ victory. Murphy scored a career high 20 points, making 5-8 of his 3-point attempts.
Belmont senior Kevin McClain also had a great game, with 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals. McClain had a few momentum-changing plays where he drove the ball full court, scored the basket and drew a foul.
Senior Dylan Windler played a solid game as well, earning his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
With Wednesday’s victory, the Bruins continued their red hot start to their 2018-2019 campaign, improving their record to 9-1. Belmont also received two votes in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The team will finish its non-conference season at Purdue on Dec. 29 at 3:30 p.m..