Belmont’s three-game winning streak came to a close Thursday after the men’s basketball fell short to Louisiana State University on the road.
The contest closed up at 83-53 in favor of the Tigers — a high-profile opponent on Belmont’s 2021-22 schedule.
The Bruins missed scoring opportunities and fell behind in points from turnovers at the Baton Rouge contest, and the team struggled with an inefficient shooting percentage of 32.3% from the floor and 25.6% from 3-point distance.
Guard Will Richard showcased a standout performance despite his freshman status, leading the Bruins with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in his 28 minutes on the floor.
Junior Ben Sheppard also posted double digits with 14 points and three assists.
The game seemed to start on a high note after the Bruins jumped out to an early 7-0 lead to start the game following a successful free throw by senior Nick Muszynski and two 3-point jumpers from Richard.
But the Tigers answered back, outscoring Belmont 9-0 over the next 3 minutes until a dunk from Muszynski tied the game back up at 9-all.
At that point, the Bruins appeared to lose momentum and were outscored 27-14 in the remainder of the half, trailing 23-36 at the halftime buzzer.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Bruins were unable to create a rhythm, and the Tigers continued to score in bunches.
Within the first 10 minutes of action, the Bruins were outscored 24-7. As the half progressed, every comeback attempt by Belmont was shut down by LSU. The Tigers’ lead only grew, and they reached their biggest lead of 39 points late in the second half.
Following the tough away loss, Belmont will look to bounce back over Thanksgiving break, set to face off against future Missouri Valley Conference opponent Drake University on Thursday for the ESPN Events Invitational at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
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PHOTO: No. 4 Will Richard charging a free throw at Monday’s LSU game, Nov. 22. Belmont Athletics / Nikiah Perry.
This article was written by Landen Secrest and A.J. Wuest.