Indiana St defeats Belmont 81-80

Belmont's Late Surge Falls Short as Indiana St Pulls Off Dramatic Comeback

In a thrilling conference matchup, Indiana St (Hulman Center) outlasted visiting Belmont 81-80 on Wednesday night, capping off an incredible comeback in the final seconds of play.

Trailing by five points at halftime, the Sycamores erased that deficit and took the lead behind a strong performance from Camp Wagner. The senior guard sparked the comeback with 10 points in the second half, including two clutch three-pointers to put his team up by two with just over a minute remaining.

However, Belmont's Tyler Lundblade was not ready to give up. The redshirt junior guard scored eight of his 26 points in the final minutes, including a deep three-pointer that tied the game with 17 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Indiana St's Ian Scott converted a layup to put his team ahead by two, but Lundblade responded with another deep three to make it a one-point game.

The tension was palpable as both teams fought for every inch of space on the court. In the end, it was Belmont that came up just short, missing a desperation shot at the buzzer to seal the Sycamores' 81-80 victory.

For Indiana St, Scott's all-around performance was instrumental in the win. The senior forward added nine rebounds and six assists, playing a crucial role in his team's defensive effort. "Ian was huge tonight," said head coach Mike Daniel. "He made some big plays on both ends of the floor."

Belmont, meanwhile, was left to ponder what might have been. Despite being outrebounded by 11, the Bruins' shooting efficiency - particularly from three-point range (12-28) - kept them in the game until the very end.

The win marked a significant bounce-back for Indiana St, which had suffered back-to-back losses prior to this matchup. "We needed a win like this tonight," said Daniel. "It shows our team is resilient and can overcome adversity."

For Belmont, the loss stings but provides valuable experience for a young team still finding its footing in conference play.

"We'll learn from this one," said head coach Rob Murphy. "We'll take the good with the bad and move forward."