NCAA Basketball: Ja Morant and Belmont top mid-major performers of the week
By Logan Butts
Best Performance, Team – Belmont Bruins
On a Saturday full of memorable college basketball action, the Belmont Bruins pulled off the night’s biggest upset as the Ohio Valley Conference went to the Pauley Pavilion and knocked the other Bruins of UCLA.
Kevin McClain, one of two non-freshman in the Belmont starting lineup, led the team with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
The senior shot 8-11 from the floor, including the game-winning layup with 2.3 seconds left in the action.
Dyland Windler, the Bruins’ other senior in the starting lineup, added 12-15-3-2, while freshman point guard Grayson Murphy had 12-5-7 as Belmont rallied from 12 points down in the final 20 minutes.
The two teams traded blows in the game’s waning moments, and the freshman-heavy Bruins were able to make the needed plays down the stretch to win the game.
A Murray State-Belmont OVC title game would be must-watch TV. It would be the fourth time’s they’ve played for the conference crown in the last seven years.
Honorable mention goes to Old Dominion’s 68-62 win at No. 25 Syracuse, led by 18 points and 10 rebounds from B.J. Stith.