JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Ben Smith hit a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds left to give Jacksonville a 65-64 win over Belmont on Thursday night.
The Dolphins (1-5, 1-0 Atlantic Sun) trailed 41-22 at halftime, but limited Belmont (3-3, 0-1) to 5-of-22 shooting in the second half of a rematch of the 2008 Atlantic Sun Championship. The Bruins’ second-half shooting woes came after they shot 61.5 percent (16 of 26) in the first.
Smith scored 16 points with 11 coming in the second half. Marcus Allen had a game-high 21 points and tallied three steals for the Dolphins.
Jacksonville trimmed its 19-point halftime deficit to just seven with 14:24 left in the game on a layup by Evan Jefferson.
Matthew Dotson scored 14 points for the Bruins, followed by Shane Dansby with 12 and Andy Wicke with 11.
