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2/28/2009 - MEN'S BASKETBALL
Dolphins Earn Regular-Season Crown with OT Win
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Four years ago, the JU men's basketball team won one game with Marcus Allen leading the team as a freshman.
On Saturday, his career came full circle as Allen hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left that gave JU its first lead in overtime and propelled the Dolphins to an 84-82 win over Belmont at the Curb Event Center to clinch the school’s first Atlantic Sun regular season championship.
While Allen hit the big shot in overtime, it was junior point guard Ben Smith who put the Dolphins (17-12, 15-5 A-Sun) in position to win. Smith scored 27 points, had six rebounds, eight assists and five steals in 42 minutes of action.
In the last five minutes of regulation, Smith scored 14 of JU’s 15 points, hitting two big 3-pointers to slow down Belmont’s rally. He finished the game having hit 10-of-19 from the floor, 3-of-5 from behind the arc and 4-of-5 at the free throw line.
“Everyone on our team had a hand in winning this game today,” said JU head coach Cliff Warren. “Our goal at the beginning of the season was to win a championship and we were fortunate enough to accomplish that. Now, we have to refocus on the tournament and our ultimate goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament.”
The game ended up a duel between two of the guards in the A-Sun, as Alex Renfroe was just as solid for Belmont as Smith was for JU.
Renfroe finished with 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals in 44 minutes of action. He hit 13-of-24 in the game and was 12-of-21 from the free throw line
