Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The upset minded Belmont women's basketball team (4-13, 3-3 A-Sun) nearly toppled visiting Atlantic Sun leader Florida Gulf Coast (15-2, 7-0 A-Sun), who was ranked 4th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, on Thursday night at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins kept it within one down the stretch but were held off by the Eagles in the final seconds, 57-50, marking the first time this season any conference team held their point differential to single digits.
The Bruins came onto the hardwood swinging for fences and jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind jumpers in the lane by senior Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.) and redshirt junior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) and a triple by sophomore Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.). FGCU finally netted its first field-goal of the contest six and a half minutes into the contest and slowly began chipping away at BU's lead. By the 11:09 mark, the Eagles knotted the score at nine en route to going on a 13-2 run to pull away by eight, 22-14, barely three minutes later.
Belmont surged behind a three pointer by senior Tristan Daniel (Waynesboro, Tenn.), who exploded for her own 7-2 run that would cut FGCU's lead down to one, 25-24, with just over two minutes remaining in the half. However, the Eagles would net the final basket of the half and take a 28-24 advantage into the break.
BU opened the second stanza with as much intensity as the first, hustling to make it a single possession game behind a layup by freshman Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.). FGCU tried to maintain distance between the teams but the Bruins kept surging and pressuring the ball on both ends of the court. A flurry of buckets by Nelson and Brooks, capping a trey from Daniel made it a one-point game with 11:23 remaining on the clock. For the next five minutes the Bruins continued to work, hunting for the one shot that would put them one point ahead instead of one point behind.
Finally, a triple by Carroll and a forced turnover put the ball back in Nelson's hands and she drove through the lane to put BU on top, 46-45, with 5:45 remaining in regulation. BU foul trouble pushed the Eagles into the double bonus with four and half minutes on the clock. After being unable to move offensively throughout much of the half, FGCU gained a little breathing room at the line and was able to pull away by three, 51-48, with 90 seconds remaining.
Nelson netted two crucial free throws with 1:12 left to again make it a one point game, 51-50, but the Eagles were able to close out regulation going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to edge the Bruins in the final seconds.
Belmont's seven-point loss was the smallest margin of victory for FGCU in conference play this season. Coming into tonight's game, the Eagles defeated Atlantic Sun foes by an average of 30.6 points per game.
FGCU shot 42.5 percent from the floor, 70 percent from the free-throw line, and 42.9 percent from three-point range. The Eagles held the advantage in assists, 14-11, blocks, 5-1, and steals, 11-8.
Florida Gulf Coast was led in scoring by Sarah Hansen, who recorded game-high 21 points. Whitney Knight and Kelsey Jacobson also reached double figures, adding 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Belmont shot 41.7 percent from the hardwood, 31.3 percent from behind the three-point arc and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 33-22. BU
Nelson notched her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Daniel dropped in 10 points. Brooks finished with a game-high five assists and four steals.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, January 14 at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host Stetson (16-3, 7-0 A-Sun) beginning at 5 p.m. The contest can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network and seen on ASun.TV. Live stats and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will be available. Prior to tip-off will be a presentation to honor Haley Nelson's 1,000th career point.
