Kerron Johnson scored 21 points and Blake Jenkins scored a career-high 18 as Belmont defeated Jacksonville 85-71 Saturday night to remain tied with Mercer atop the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 8:24 remaining and a layup 20 seconds later to give the Bruins (15-7, 8-2) a 64-60 lead after the Dolphins (4-17, 2-8) had rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit.
After a Belmont timeout, Drew Hanlen and Ian Clark hit 3-pointers and Jenkins a layup to widen the Bruins' lead to 12 points, 72-60, with 4:45 left. Jacksonville never got closer than nine points after that.
Clark finished with 13 points and Hanlen 10 for Belmont, which won 75-63 at Jacksonville on Jan. 4.
Aloys Cabell scored 22 points and Russell Powell 15 for the Dolphins, who rallied from a 33-26 deficit with 5 minutes left in the first half to go into halftime tied at 39.
