Monday, January 3, 2005

Contact: Stan Cole

Belmont Outlasts Campbell 78-71 In Overtime

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Josh Goodwin scored nine of his game-high 18 points in overtime and Belmont defeated Campbell 78-71 in Atlantic Sun men's basketball action Monday night at Carter Gym.

In a game where the score was tied eight times and the lead changed on 15 occasions, Belmont (3-7, 2-0) never trailed in the extra session.

Jese Snyder added 16 points, including 5-of-10 shooting from three-point range, Justin Hare had 15 and Brian Collins 12 for the Bruins, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Andrew Preston blocked six shots to tie his career high set last month vs. Chattanooga.

Ruell Pringle led Campbell (2-8, 0-3), which lost its fifth-straight, with 16 points. Maurice Latham had 14 on 6-of-11 shooting, while Dominique Klein scored a season-high 13, while grabbing nine boards. Diego Aguiar finished with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds, plus a career-best four blocked shots.

Neither team led by more than five in the second period, when the lead changed nine times and the score was knotted on five other occasions.

Belmont held a 55-50 edge with 35 seconds to go when Hare scored on a backdoor feed from Nick Otis.

Anthony Atkinson raced the length of the floor for a layup on the next possession, then Goodwin was caught in a five-second closely guarded trap to give the Camels one final chance.

Klein banked in a three-pointer from the right wing with 13 seconds to play to knot the score at 55-all. Belmont had a chance to win in regulation, but Collins' eight-footer was blocked by Aguiar, who also covered the rebound as time expired.

In the overtime, Snyder hit a three on Belmont's first possession, and Comerlee Poole's follow shot in the paint left the Bruins in front 58-57 with 4:30 to go. Campbell, however, got no closer.

With 2:26 remaining in overtime, Latham was ejected for a flagrant foul in the midst of a 11-2 Belmont flurry. The Bruins took the largest lead of the game (73-61) when Goodwin canned a three, then hit a foul shot for a four-point play. Campbell was unable to draw closer than seven down the stretch.

Campbell held Belmont to 39.4 percent shooting from the floor, the second-lowest mark of the year for a Fighting Camel opponent. However, the Bruins made 17-of-24 foul shots, while the Camels hit just 4-of-9 from the stripe. Campbell shot an even 40 percent (30-75) from the field and held a 50-40 edge on the boards.

Belmont, which entered the game leading the A-Sun in three-pointers made per game at better than 10 per outing, made 9-of-24 from long distance, 3-of-3 in overtime. Campbell hit 7-of-21 triples on the night.

The Bruins converted 22 Campbell turnovers into 20 points, while Campbell scored just 13 off 16 Belmont miscues.

Campbell hosts Lipscomb on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., while Belmont travels to Gardner-Webb. [Box Score]