NASHVILLE, TENN. - - As the calendar page turns, so to does the focus turn from non-conference to conference play, with Belmont opening its Atlantic Sun season at league newcomer, ETSU, Thursday.

The Bruins (2-1) lost Saturday night at fifth-ranked Oklahoma, 81-59. Junior center Boomer Herndon scored a game-high, and new career-high 18 points in 19 minutes of action.

Belmont made 6-of-16 three-point field goals Saturday in Norman, after making 26-of 42 long-distance attempts in its opening victories over Wright State and Chattanooga.

Head Coach Rick Byrd has won three consecutive A-Sun league openers, but Thursday’s trip to Johnson City will be no bargain.

The Bucs (1-2) rebounded from early-season losses at Tennessee and Radford with a trouncing of Marshall Tuesday night, 91-63. ETSU shot 58 percent from the floor for the game, and made 9-of-14 three-point field goals.

Freshman Courtney Pigram led five double figure scorers with 20 points off the bench.

The Belmont-ETSU match-up features two of the premier lead guards in the Atlantic Sun: the Bruins’ Justin Hare and ETSU’s Tim Smith.

Hare, the reigning Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year, scored a career-high 30 points in Belmont’s season opening win over Wright State. The sophomore from Cleveland, Tennessee is averaging just over 18 points per game.

Smith, the Pre-Season Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, sprung on the national scene after directing the Bucs to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004. The 5-9 senior is averaging 21.7 points and 6.0 assists per game thus far in 2005-06.

ETSU leads the overall series, 5-0. The Bucs won the last meeting, 75-61, on December, 28, 2002 in Tampa, Florida.