The Belmont men’s basketball team fell to boulevard arch-rivals Lipscomb for the first time since the 2011-2012 season Monday night, earning the team their seventh home loss of the last 100 games in the Curb Event Center.
The visiting Bisons took an early lead over Belmont in the first half and held the Bruins within just four points for the first 20 minutes of play. Lipscomb forward Rob Marberry would join teammate Garrison Matthews as a major scoring presence all night. Matthews led the Bisons with 22 points, while Marberry earned the Bisons 18 points and eight rebounds.
Lipscomb wasted no time creating a comfortable 17-point deficit just eight minutes into the second half. The Bruins, rallying behind a late scoring surge from freshman reserve Nick Hopkins, cut the deficit to just one point with three minutes left to play.
However, the Bisons were able to fend off the Bruins and pulled ahead to a final score of 74-66, ending an 11-game winning streak for the Bruins in the Battle of the Boulevard series.
The Bruins — fresh off a heartbreaking, buzzer-beater loss against the Providence Friars — underperformed in the Curb Center, hitting just 30 percent of three-pointers. The Bisons were able to find more success, hitting 50 percent of three-pointers.
Hopkins led the Bruins with 14 points, while junior Dylan Windler led the Bruins with 11 rebounds.
The Bruins will return to the Curb Event Center Saturday to face Green Bay, and will head down the boulevard Monday, Dec. 4 for a rematch against the Bisons.
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Photos and article by Zach Gilchriest and Cooper Smith.
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