Clark hits 9 3-pointers, scores 31 points to lift Belmont past North Florida 70-56

Belmont knocks off North Florida 70-56

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ian Clark hit nine 3-pointers and scored 31 points to lead Belmont to a 70-56 victory over North Florida on Sunday.

Clark, a freshman guard, was a career-high 9-for-11 from the 3-point line as the Bruins (15-10, 10-5 Atlantic Sun Conference) won for the sixth time in seven games.

Belmont, which is tied with Lipscomb for first place in the A-Sun, was 13-for-27 from beyond the arc (48.1 percent).

Clark’s first 3-pointer, just 52 seconds into the game, gave Belmont a 3-2 lead and the Bruins never trailed again to gain a split in the season series. He hit back-to-back 3s — 48 seconds apart — to increase the margin to 43-27 with 17:08 remaining in the game.

Mick Hedgepeth added 14 points and eight rebounds for Belmont.

Eni Cuka scored 14 points, Jerron Granberry had 12 and Brad Haugabrook added 10 points for North Florida (11-13, 6-8), which committed 20 turnovers.