Belmont Bruins at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
· NCAA Men's Basketball
75 - 72
Belmont hits 14 3-pointers, beats Western Kentucky 75-72
Belmont had a 53-41 lead midway through the second half but WKU rallied to tie it on Lamonte Bearden's free throws with 1:33 to go. Egekeze answered with a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and after WKU missed a 3, Nick Hopkins made four straight free throws in the last 11 seconds to seal it.
Mack Mercer scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half for Belmont (8-5), which is 2-4 on the road this season. Hopkins also scored 13 points. Windler and Egekeze each made three 3-pointers as the Bruins hit 14 of 36.
Belmont led 33-26 at halftime behind Windler's 10 points and seven rebounds.
Justin Johnson and Taveion Hollingsworth scored 16 points apiece for Western Kentucky (7-5). Bearden chipped in 14 points and Dwight Coleby had 11 points and eight rebounds.
How can I watch Belmont vs. Western Kentucky?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 75 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Justin Johnson made Two Point Tip Shot. | 75 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Justin Johnson Offensive Rebound. | 75 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Jake Ohmer missed Three Point Jumper. | 75 - 70 |
| 2nd 0:05 | Nick Hopkins made Free Throw. | 75 - 70 |
Statistics
 BEL |
 WKU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 26-56 | FG | 30-66 |
| 46 | Field Goal % | 45 |
| 14-36 | 3PT | 1-12 |
| 39 | Three Point % | 8 |
| 9-12 | FT | 11-11 |
| 75 | Free Throw % | 100 |
| 35 | Rebounds | 33 |
| 9 | Offensive Rebounds | 10 |
| 26 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
| 16 | Assists | 8 |
| 2 | Steals | 6 |
| 0 | Blocks | 2 |
| 11 | Turnovers | 5 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 11 | Total Turnovers | 5 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 7 | Points Off Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 6 |
| 20 | Points in Paint | 52 |
| 13 | Fouls | 13 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 4 |
Game Information
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Attendance: 5,156 | Capacity:
2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
2025-26 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 17-3 | - | 26-8 |
| Sam Houston | 13-7 | 4 | 22-12 |
| Louisiana Tech | 11-9 | 6 | 20-14 |
| Western Kentucky | 11-9 | 6 | 18-14 |
| Middle Tennessee | 11-9 | 6 | 17-15 |
| Kennesaw State | 10-10 | 7 | 21-14 |
| Jacksonville State | 10-10 | 7 | 15-17 |
| New Mexico State | 8-12 | 9 | 16-16 |
| Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 16-18 |
| Florida International | 8-12 | 9 | 15-17 |
| UTEP | 7-13 | 8 | 11-20 |
| Delaware | 6-14 | 11 | 10-21 |