Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A strong comeback effort in the final four minutes of regulation fell just short on Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center for the Belmont women's basketball team (2-7, 1-1 A-Sun). The Bruins fell to visiting Mercer (2-6, 1-1 A-Sun), 64-61, after a three-pointer at the buzzer rattled off the rim.
The Bears opened the first stanza with a quick scoring burst to go up 5-0 in the first two and a half minutes. BU called a timeout to reorganize and immediately produced a 6-0 run with baskets coming from freshman Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) and senior Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.) to take the lead by the 15:28 mark. The teams fell into a back-and-forth battle before the game was tied at nine two minutes later. A pair at the stripe by freshman Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) followed by a three-point play completed by senior Shai Wilkins (Harvest, Ala.) but the Bruins ahead, 14-10, with just over 11 minutes left in regulation.
The contest slipped into a defensive back and forth battle with the squads trading baskets over the span of five minutes, forcing four ties, the last being 20-all with 4:54 left on the clock. With four and a half minutes left before the break, the Bruins made their move. Redshirt junior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) netted a fade away jumper in the lane and Nelson followed with a steal and a fast break layup. She went on to complete the three-point play as she was fouled on the layup to put BU ahead by five, 25-20, with 3:38 left. The Bears fought back and sent the contest into its sixth tie of the half, this time at 25 with 90 seconds remaining. Junior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) turned up the heat offensively to help the Bruins take the lead. She knocked down a pair at the stripe and followed with a jumper in the paint to sandwich a Mercer three-pointer to give Belmont the lead, 29-28, with 45 seconds left on the clock. The Bruins were able to take that same one point lead into the locker rooms after playing strong defense in the waning seconds.
After the break, the Bruins wasted little time building on their lead. BU went on a 6-0 tear behind shots by Visbeen sophomore Julianne Downs (Franklin, Tenn.) and Nelson, forcing the Mercer bench to call timeout to try to slow the Bruins down. However, BU quickly went on to make it a 9-0 run with a trey by Visbeen before the Bears could break a scoring drought that lasted over four minutes. Mercer came clawing back, trimming Belmont's lead down to one, 40-39, with 13:27 left in stanza. The Bears hovered within two baskets of taking the lead for two minutes before Precious Bridges hit two free throws to give MU its first lead of the half, 43-42.
The Bears continued adding to their point tally, using an 8-2 run to pull away, 53-45, by the 6:22 mark. The Bruins rallied and began chipping away at the Mercer lead in the final five minutes of regulation. A quick 7-2 run fueled by Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.), Visbeen and Nelson, BU made it a three-point game, 57-54, with two minutes remaining. The teams traded crucial baskets over the next 60 seconds with Belmont inching closer and closer to taking the lead. Nelson sky hooked two points to keep the Bruins within three, 61-58, but Bridges answered with a pair at the line to keep Mercer in front with 26.6 ticks remaining.
Visbeen quick released a triple at the top of the arc 10 seconds later to move the Bruins within two, 63-61, and both benches called back-to-back timeouts to strategize the final seconds of the game. With 12 seconds left, Belmont fouled Bridges. Unlike her previous five times at the free throw line, she missed one of the two, leaving the door open for the Bruins to net a three to send the game into overtime. BU inbounded the ball and hustled down the court looking for a chance to net a game-tying three pointer. Sophomore Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) had the best look and with just two ticks remaining, she fired from the left side of the arc. As the horn sounded, her attempt clanged off the rim, giving Mercer the 64-61 win and snapping a two-game win streak in the series for BU.
Mercer shot 38.9 percent from the floor, 90.5 percent from the free-throw line and 27.3 percent from three-point range. The Bears held the advantage in rebounds, 36-32, assists, 13-9, blocks, 4-1, and steals, 9-6.
MU was led in scoring by Precious Bridges, who netted 20 points. Ry'van Buchanan and Jasmine Blakemore also reached double digits, adding 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Belmont shot 41.1 percent from the hardwood, a season-high 80 percent from the charity stripe and 33.3 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Visbeen led the Bruins with a career and game-high 22 points. Nelson added 17 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
Belmont returns to the road for action on Tuesday night. The Bruins will face off at Eastern Kentucky beginning at 6 p.m. CT. The game can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network and live stats will be available. A live Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
