Ian Clark led four Belmont players in double figures with 17 points, and the Bruins pulled away in the second half to rout Florida Gulf Coast 83-51 on Monday night.
Rick Byrd earned his 499th victory in 25 seasons at Belmont, thanks to the contributions of Clark, Scott Saunders (14 points), Jordan Campbell (13) and Trevor Noack (12).
Twenty-five FGCU turnovers helped as well. The Bruins (11-3, 3-0 Atlantic Sun) converted those miscues into an advantage in scoring opportunities. The Bruins made 20 of 32 shots from the field in the second half, while the Eagles made 8 of only 15. That's how Belmont, which led only 28-25 at halftime, broke the game open.
At 3-9 overall, FGCU is 0-3 in Atlantic Sun play for the first time.
Anthony Banks, the Eagles' only player in double figures, scored 13 points.
