Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.) notched her sixth double-double of the season after tallying her 1,000th career point as she helped the Belmont women's basketball team (4-12, 3-2 A-Sun) defeat rival Lipscomb (3-13, 1-4 A-Sun) in part one of the annual Battle of the Boulevard on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins grabbed a double digit lead midway through the second half and did not look back en route to their 64-54 victory. The win improves BU to 3-2 in the Atlantic Sun.
The contest started slowly in point production by both teams because of tough defensive on both ends of the court for nearly the first six minutes of action. Finally, Nelson was scored as she was driving and was awarded a pair at the line. She connected on the first, recording her 1,000th career point. Redshirt junior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) officially broke the ice off the rim with back-to-back jumpers barely one minute later. Lipscomb hustled and put together a 9-0 run to pull away 16-9 by the 8:32 mark, forcing the Bruin bench to call a timeout to regroup.
Out of the brief break, Nelson netted a jumper and after forcing a turnover, junior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) swished a triple from the top of the arc to move BU to within two, 18-16, less than 90 seconds later. Led by Nelson and freshman Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.), Belmont exploded for an 8-2 run to take the lead, 24-20, with 3:18 remaining before the break. However, the Lady Bison returned to the long ball to quickly make up ground and not let the game get out of hand.
The Bruins worked to grow their lead to as many as five, 30-25, with two more jumpers by Brooks in the paint with just 53 seconds left on the clock. Lipscomb was able to net one of two at the line 15 seconds later but senior Cacy Burtnett (Cleveland, Tenn.) found the bottom of the net for the final shot of the half allowing BU to take a 32-26 leads into the locker room.
Belmont continued to build on its lead in the early minutes of the second stanza, going up by as many as nine, 39-30, by the 17:38 mark after Visbeen' s second three pointer of the afternoon. The Lady Bison began steadily chipping away at BU's lead and just three and a half minutes later had inched within four, 41-37. Using baskets from sophomore Julianne Downs (Franklin, Tenn.), senior Tristan Daniel (Waynesboro, Tenn.), Nelson and Visbeen, the Bruins gradually built their largest lead of the contest, 12, by the 3:39 mark, 59-47.
LU was able to get as close as eight, 61-53, after another mid-range jumper in the final 90 seconds of regulation but Brooks' success at the charity stripe on what would be the final possession of the contest ensured the double-digit margin of victory.
Lipscomb shot 32.1 percent from the floor, 60 percent from the free-throw line and 29.4 percent from three-point range. The Lady Bison held the advantage in rebounds, 43-38.
LU was led in scoring by Hannah Phillips' 11 points. Sasha Robinson and Anna Bowers each added 10 points. Phillips also led the team in rebounds, grabbing nine.
Belmont shot 42.4 percent from the hardwood, 66.7 percent from the charity stripe and 22.2 percent from behind the three-point arc. The Bruins held the advantage in assists, 15-10, and blocks, 6-0. The teams were even in steals with five apiece.
For the second time this season, three Bruins reached double figures in scoring in a game. Nelson netted a game-high 17 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to lead Belmont. Nelson also became just the 26th Belmont women's basketball player to cross the 1,000-point plateau. Brooks added a career-high 15 while Visbeen contributed 13 points. Freshman Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) finished with two blocks.
Belmont returns to action on Thursday, January 12 in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host Florida Gulf Coast in Atlantic Sun action beginning at 7 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.
