Belmont uses big second half to beat Tennessee St.

Jan 25, 2015, 10:21 pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nick Smith had 12 points, and Craig Bradshaw scored eight of his 11 during Belmont's decisive second-half run and the Bruins beat Tennessee State 63-55 on Sunday night.

Reece Chamberlain had 10 points and five assists for Belmont (13-7, 5-2 Ohio Valley) and Evan Bradds grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.

Two free throws by Xavier Richards gave Tennessee State a 34-28 lead with 17 minutes to play, but a jumper by Smith started a 28-5 run, which was capped by a Bradshaw 3-pointer and gave the Bruins a 17-point lead with 9:03 left.

The Tigers then trailed by double digits until the final minute.

Tennessee State (3-18, 0-6) used a 16-4 run to open up a 25-10 lead with nine minutes left in the first half. Belmont responded with an 18-5 spurt and trailed 30-28 at the break.

Tennessee State has lost six in a row and 17 of its last 18 games.