Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 2 Belmont protected its house in Nashville, Tenn., beating No. 7 Gardner-Webb 79-61. The home court was friendly for Belmont, which shot nearly 60 percent from the field, and five players reached double figures in scoring, led by junior guard Justin Hare’s 14. The Bruins advance to the semifinals to play No. 6 Campbell. Senior guard Eric Smith delivered in the clutch, hitting two three-pointers in overtime to fuel the Camels’ 90-85 upset against No. 3 Jacksonville.
Sophomore guard Courtney Pigram proved why he is the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year in East Tennessee State’s 77-61 victory against No. 8 Stetson. The 6-foot Pigram scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He fueled a second-half run that allowed East Tennessee State overcome Stetson’s upset bid after the Hatters grabbed a one-point lead midway through the second half. The Bucs will need to play better from start to finish against No. 4 Lipscomb, which blasted No. 5 Mercer 85-49 in the final Atlantic Sun Tournament quarterfinal. Lipscomb sprinted to a 21-point halftime lead and never looked back. [3/01/07]
