Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A furious second half comeback erased a 10-point halftime deficit with four minutes to go, but Belmont University rallied from the 53-53 tie to post a 62-53 victory over the Fairfield University men's basketball team at the Curb Event Center this afternoon. Marcus Gilbert led all Stags scorers with 16 points while KJ Rose added 10 points to the Fairfield cause.

                Fairfield struggled from the floor to start the game, missing its first eight shots which allowed Belmont to open up a 9-0 lead. Six of those field goal attempts came from outside the three-point arc while the other two shots resulted in blocked shots. Four different Bruins scored in that opening run which was capped by a three-point play from Reece Chamberlain.

                The Stags pushed their first shot through the hoop when Maurice Barrow collected an offensive rebound and drove to the basket to make the score 9-2. KJ Rose followed up on the next possession with a running one-hander that banked off the glass to close the gap at 9-4. Belmont responded with a pair of baskets before Marcus Gilbert buried a three-pointer which made it a 13-7 game.

                The Bruins put together six straight points to gain their biggest lead to that point at 19-7. Gilbert continued his personal run by scoring the next eight points of the game over the 90 seconds that allowed Fairfield to pull within four points at 19-15 with 8:52 on the clock. Craig Bradshaw stopped the run with a 12-footer that increased the deficit to six points, the seventh Belmont student-athlete to score in the half.

                The Stags run was precipitated by strong defense over a seven-minute stretch. After starting the game by making seven of 11 field goal attempts, Fairfield held Belmont to just two for nine shooting over the next seven minutes which allowed Fairfield to cut into that deficit at 19-15. The Bruins found their range though and went on a 10-3 run that allowed the home team to gain an 11-point lead at 29-18 with three minutes remaining. The Stags were able to cut one point off that deficit and went into the locker room down 31-21.

                Belmont did not score any second-chance points in the first half mainly because the Stags did not allow the Bruins to grab any offensive rebounds. The Stags enjoyed a 19-13 edge on the boards.

                Amadou Sidibe sparked an opening run to start the second half, netting the team's first four points and six overall as the Stags used an 18-11 spurt that pulled the Stags within three points at 42-39 with 13:22 on the clock. Rose and Chappell each had four points during that opening stretch. Belmont answered with nine straight points to garner a 12-point edge at 51-39 with nine minutes remaining.

                The Stags came right back with seven straight points, buoyed by three pointers from Gilbert and Rose, to bring the score to 51-46. The two teams traded baskets to keep the game with a five-point differential, but the Stags would tally the five points to tie the game on a pair of Sidibe free throws, making the score 53-53 with four minutes left.

                The points by Sidibe would be Fairfield's last though as Belmont finished the game with a 9-0 run that would take the Bruins to a 62-53 win. Mann tallied five of his team-high 15 points during that closing run. Bradshaw tallied eight of his 12 points in the second half for Belmont.

                Fairfield will return to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on Thursday night when it heads to Monmouth University for a 7 pm game. The contest will be broadcasted live on ESPN3.