NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Freshman Caleb Hollander tossed in 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds to help Belmont hold off Lipscomb 87-83 on Thursday night.
Hollander, who notched his first careerdouble-double, sank 4 of 5 from 3-point range and has scored 21 in two of his first three collegiate games for the Bruins (3-0). Kevin McClain and Nick Muszynski both scored 16 with Muszynski also pulling down nine rebounds to help Belmont earn a 40-28 advantage on the boards. Grayson Murphy added 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Garrison Mathews led all scorers with 27 points for the Bisons (2-1). Kenny Cooper added 18 points, five assists and three steals and Michael Buckland had 13 points before fouling out. Rob Marberry scored 12 with four assists.
Belmont, which led 37-34 at halftime, pushed its advantage to 10 on Muszynski's layup with 15:18 left to play. Michael Benkert's 3-pointer gave the Bruins their biggest lead, 65-46 with 11:37 remaining. Lipscomb chipped away and pulled within 77-76 on Mathews' 3 with 3:12 remaining, but Hollander hit 1 of 2 free throws and buried a jumper to push the lead back to five and the Bruins held on.
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