Box Score MARTIN, Tenn. -- The Belmont women's basketball team (0-1) was unable to overcome an icy second half performance from behind the arc and fell in its season opener on the road on Friday night. The Bruins fell to future Ohio Valley Conference foe UT-Martin (1-0), 67-48.
After a chilly start from the floor for both teams, Belmont was first to strike to open this 20th matchup between the programs behind a triple from sophomore Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) from the right side of the arc. BU stayed ahead and in control of the game for the next five minutes with buckets coming from seniors Tristan Daniel (Waynesboro, Tenn.) and Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.). UT-Martin warmed up offensively, knotting the score twice by the 10:30 mark. The Skyhawks briefly gained the lead with a three-pointer by Jaclissa Haislip 30 seconds later but the Bruins continued to put in work on both ends of the floor.
Belmont tied the game up at 16 with a jumper in the paint by Nelson with just under six and a half minutes remaining before the break. The team then exploded offensively, pulling ahead by a pair behind shots by junior transfer Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) and the second half of a pair at the charity stripe by Daniel. By the two minute mark, BU was up by five, 23-18, after a Nelson lay-up. Jasmine Newsome hit a pair at the line with 53 seconds on the clock to cut Belmont's lead to three and those would be the last points before the break. Belmont took a 23-20 lead into the locker rooms.
Belmont opened the second half on fire, using a pair of blocks by Nelson to assist classmate Cacy Burtnett (Cleveland, Tenn.) in back-to-back jumpers. Nelson would add her own two to put the Bruins ahead, 29-25, with 17:40 on the clock. The Skyhawks suddenly got hot from the floor and put together an 11-2 run, going up, 38-32, to take their first lead since the 6:30 mark of the first half.
Despite regularly finding the bottom of the net in the mid-range, the Bruins found themselves trailing by 11 with nine and a half minutes left in regulation due to several baskets by the Skyhawks. The combination of BU foul trouble and an ice cold performance from behind the arc aided in UT-Martin pulling away through the middle of the second stanza by as many as 16 points. The Skyhawks were able to maintain their double digit lead and never looked back, continuing to take advantage of BU's sudden frigidity. UT-Martin's biggest lead of the game, 19 points, came at the 2:39 mark. Belmont was able to trim the lead to 14 with a triple by freshman Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.), the team's first of the second half but that would be as close as it would come.
Nelson notched a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Bruins. Daniel (Waynesboro, Tenn.) added six while Burtnett and Brooks contributed four points each.
Heather Butler and Newsome each recorded 19 points. Haislip added 14 points in the effort.
Belmont shot 29 percent from the floor, 53.3 percent from the charity stripe and an icy 14.8 percent from behind the three-point arc. The Bruins held the advantage in blocks, 8-2.
UT-Martin shot 28.2 percent from the floor, 66.7 percent from the free-throw line and 25 percent from three-point range. The Skyhawks held the narrow advantage in rebounds, 55-52, assists, 13-12 and steals, 11-3.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday on the second leg of its road swing to open the 2011-12 season. The Bruins travel to Memphis to take on the Tigers beginning at 2 p.m. Live stats, a live audio broadcast and video will be available.
