Dillon scores 16 as Belmont knocks off Illinois State 80-69

By Canadian Press on January 24, 2026.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Eoin Dillon’s 16 points off of the bench led Belmont to an 80-69 victory over Illinois State on Saturday.

Dillon shot 6 for 8, including 4 for 5 from beyond the arc for the Bruins (18-3, 8-2 Missouri Valley Conference). Jabez Jenkins added 14 points while shooting 6 of 8 from the field while he also had five rebounds and three steals. Tyler Lundblade shot 2 for 7 and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points.

The Redbirds (14-7, 6-4) were led in scoring by Johnny Kinziger, who finished with 13 points and five assists. Chase Walker added 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks for Illinois State. Ty Pence had 12 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Belmont pulled off the victory after a 10-0 second-half run erased a two-point deficit and gave them the lead at 66-58 with 8:01 left in the half. Dillon scored 11 second-half points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press