Northern Iowa Panthers @ Belmont Bruins
Sheppard puts up 22, Belmont defeats Northern Iowa 76-72
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Ben Sheppard had 22 points in Belmont's 76-72 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday night.
Sheppard was 6 of 10 shooting, including 4 for 6 from distance, and went 6 for 7 from the line for the Bruins (13-6, 6-2 Missouri Valley Conference). Drew Friberg scored 15 points while going 6 of 12 (3 for 9 from distance), and added six rebounds. Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished 6 of 8 from the field to finish with 14 points.
Trey Campbell finished with 16 points and two steals for the Panthers (9-9, 5-3). Michael Duax added 12 points for Northern Iowa. Tytan Anderson also had 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Belmont went into the half leading Northern Iowa 44-31. Sheppard scored 12 points in the half. Belmont turned an eight-point second-half lead into a 15-point advantage with a 7-0 run to make it a 51-36 lead with 14:55 left in the half. Sheppard scored 10 second-half points in the win.
NEXT UP
Belmont's next game is Tuesday against Murray State at home, while Northern Iowa hosts Illinois State on Wednesday.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Game Information
Nashville, TN
Referee:Roland Simmons
Referee:Ervin Wilson
Referee:Boyd Copeland
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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