South Dakota State upsets Belmont 85-72

Dec 14, 2013, 08:11 pm

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Brayden Carlson scored 20 and Jake Bittle added a career-high 19 points to lead South Dakota State to an 85-72 upset over visiting Belmont on Saturday.

The victory was big for South Dakota State (5-7) as it came against a Belmont squad that entered the game with its daily RPI of 22 and a victory over No. 18 North Carolina on its resume.

The Jackrabbits opened the second half shooting 9 of 11 from the floor to lead 59-43 with 13:08 remaining and held their largest advantage at 65-46 before Belmont answered with an 18-6 run to cut the deficit to 71-64 with 4:43 to go.

The Jackrabbits made 9 of 12 free throws to hang on for the win. Bittle added six steals and four assists and Cody Larson had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Craig Bradshaw led Belmont (8-3) with 17 points and 3-of-3 3-point shooting.