by MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men’s basketball team led by a point with 1:23 to play, but could not hold on over the final minute, falling to Belmont, 83-80, in the Legends Classic on Friday evening at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Freshman Henry Ellenson led the Golden Eagles (0-1) with 21 points and 16 rebounds in his regular season debut, while four others also scored in double figures. Redshirt sophomore Duane Wilson added 13 points and four assists for MU, which outrebounded the Bruins 44-35 for the contest. Sandy Cohen (Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin) added 11 points on the evening
Evan Bradds paced Belmont (1-0), a veteran-led squad, with 24 points and nine rebounds and Craig Bradshaw added 18 points.
Wilson’s jumper in the lane gave MU its last lead at 80-79 before Belmont closed out the game with four free throws over the final 83 seconds. The Golden Eagles rebounded from an 11-point deficit early in the second stanza, and were aided by Ellenson’s 14 second half points.
The Bruins closed the first half on a 14-3 run and led 47-40 at the break. Wilson gave Marquette a 37-33 lead with 3:59 remaining in the opening fame before BU went on its run. Belmont shot 48.6 percent (18-of-37) in the first half and made eight 3-pointers, including treys on six of its first eight baskets.
The Golden Eagles will host their second Legends Classic game on Monday, Nov. 16 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center at 8 p.m. Central time. The game will be broadcast live on FS1.
Postgame Notes:
• Today’s game marked the season opener for both teams. Marquette enters its 99th season in program history.
• MU freshmen Henry Ellenson and Haanif Cheatham made their first collegiate starts, one of four freshmen to make their collegiate debuts tonight, joining Sacar Anim and Traci Carter.
• Belmont’s Craig Bradshaw opened the game with one of his four first-half threes. The senior sharpshooter tallied 12 points in the half, shooting 4-for-8, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. He finish the game with 18 points.
• Bradshaw and Evan Bradds tied for the team lead in the first stanza, netting 12 points each. MU’s Luke Fischer led the Golden Eagles with nine first half points.
• Belmont went on a 9-0 run late in the first half, turning a four-point deficit into a 43-37 advantage. The Bruins closed out the half on a 14-3 run, taking a seven-point lead into the locker room.
• Back-to-back baskets by Belmont to open the second half gave the Bruins an 11-point lead, their largest of the game, and forced MU to call an early timeout.
• Belmont committed its seventh foul with 13:17 remaining in the second half, putting MU in the bonus for the remainder of the game. The Golden Eagles entered the double-bonus on Belmont’s 10th team foul, which came with 9:50 left.
• MU trailed 56-45 with 14:50 remaining in regulation until a Sacar Anim tip-in sparked an 11-0 run for the Golden Eagles, led by Henry Ellenson who added seven in that stretch.
• Belmont and MU exchanged late second half runs. Belmont took a nine point lead on an 11-2 burst, followed by a Golden Eagle 8-0 run, which was capped off by a Duane Wilson only three-pointer of the night.
• MU had five players in double-figures for the first time since Dec. 28, 2014 in an 81-53 win over Morgan State at home.
• Belmont forced two turnovers in the final 14 seconds and converted four of their final six free throws to overcome an 80-79 deficit. Duane Wilson’s potential game-tying 3 in the waning seconds rimmed out.
• Henry Ellenson collected his first career double-double with 21 points, 16 rebounds.
• Luke Fischer also recorded his first career double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds. In his first season with Marquette in 2014-15, he fell one rebound shy of a double-double on three separate occasions.
• With the loss, the Golden Eagles fell to 83-16 (.838) in season lidlifters. MU had its 15-game winning streak in season openers snapped, marking the first setback in such occurrences since a 67-54 loss to South Alabama back in 2000.
