Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky led Belmont with just over a minute left to play before falling 66-61 on Thursday in Nashville.
 
EKU senior Corey Walden missed the game due to a minor injury.
 
After a lay-up by Eric Stutz gave Eastern a 61-58 lead, the Bruins scored the final eight points of the game as the Colonels made just one of their final 11 shot attempts.
 
Timmy Knipp finished with a team-best 18 points for the Colonels (16-10, 8-5 OVC).  Isaac McGlone scored a career-high 14 points and had five steals.  Eric Stutz contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
Craig Bradshaw had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Belmont (17-10, 9-5 OVC).
 
Eastern Kentucky committed eight fewer turnovers and out-scored Belmont 30-5 off turnovers, but the Bruins knocked down 11 three-pointers.
 
The two teams exchanged a pair of long runs to start the second half.  EKU opened the second stanza with a 12-2 run.  A long jumper by Deverin Muff capped it and had the Colonels on top 47-31 with 15 minutes left to play. 
 
Belmont answered with a 20-3 run to turn that 16-point deficit into a one-point lead.  Caleb Chowbay's three-pointer with 10:39 to play finished it off and gave the home squad a 51-50 advantage.  Chowbay's trey was the fifth Bruin three-pointer during the run.
 
Belmont hit four 3-pointers in the first 3:27 of the game to jump out to a 12-7 lead.  The Bruins would only hit one more triple the rest of the half.  EKU was down 14-9 before going on a 22-5 run.  Belmont went almost four minutes without scoring during the run.  A tip-in by Stutz and a three-pointer by Knipp from the right wing capped it and gave the visitors a 31-19 lead with 5:19 left in the first half.
 
Eastern then suffered through a four-minute scoring drought of its own as the Bruins scored eight straight to get within four.  The Colonels led by six at the break, 35-29.
 
EKU will face Austin Peay on Monday.  The game was originally scheduled for last Tuesday, but was rescheduled because of the winter storm that hit Kentucky.  Tip-off at McBrayer Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
NOTES
The Colonels had won five straight games.
 
Isaac McGlone's previous career-high was 12 points in EKU's 28-point victory at No. 18 Miami earlier in the season.
 
Corey Walden began the day as the only player in the OVC ranked in the top-10 in scoring (2nd), field goal percentage (8th), assists (7th) and steals (1st).
 
Eastern Kentucky entered the game second in the nation in turnover margin (+7.8) and fifth in steals (9.7 spg).  The Colonels had eight fewer turnovers and 11 steals.