NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont would like nothing better than to end its run as an Atlantic Sun member by claiming one final league and tournament championship.
 
The defending league champs are wrapping up their final A-Sun competition before joining the Ohio Valley Conference next fall. The Bruins will serve as host to future OVC foe, Austin Peay, 7 p.m., Monday at the Curb Event Center.
 
Belmont enters Monday’s game with a 17-7 record, including a 10-2 A-Sun mark, good enough for a first-place tie.  Balance is Belmont’s key as they have six players who averaging 9.0 points per game or better, led by Kerron Johnson’s 14.7 ppg average. He also is averaging 5.2 assists per outing.
 
The Govs also will have to deal with the two-headed inside monster of 6-9 Mick Hedgepth and 6-10 Scott Saunders. The latter scored 23 against the Governors in their first meeting, a 77-67 Bruins victory in Clarksville back in December.
 
Austin Peay, meanwhile, is coming off a disheartening 94-88 home loss to Tennessee Tech, Thursday, a contest that saw Kevin Murphy and Jud Dillard combine for 62 points against the Govs defense.  The contest also wasted 6-8 center John Fraley’s career-best 31-point, 17-rebound effort.
 
It was APSU’s first 30-point outing in more than a year.  In fact, the Govs’ inside trio of Fraley, Melvin Baker and Will Triggs combined to shoot 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) from the floor while APSU’s perimeter performers were at 11-of-36 (30.6 percent).
 
 The loss was the Governors second straight and third in their last four games as they fell to 9-16 overall and 6-6 in the OVC.  The Govs will be facing a Belmont club that owns a 10-1 home record, that only loss to rival Lipscomb.



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