Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women's basketball team (1-2) was unable to rebound from an early scoring deficit to Chattanooga (2-0) on Wednesday night in the Curb Event Center. Despite battling back from an early double digit deficit, the Bruins fell to the Lady Mocs, 84-54, in their home opener.
Chattanooga, who was still riding high from an upset win over Tennessee, jumped out to an early five point lead, 9-4, by the 16 minute mark as the Bruins struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Finally, reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) drained a trey from the right side of the arc and senior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) followed with a jumper to cut the Lady Mocs lead down to two, 15-13, two minutes later. UTC continued to find the bottom of the net but BU was able to counter with baskets to keep the game within reach.
A triple by senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) moved to Bruins back to within eight, 28-20, with just over eight minutes left in the half. However, Chattanooga put together a quick run to pull away, 33-20, just 90 seconds later, forcing the Bruin bench to burn a timeout to regroup. Undeterred, Belmont dug in its heels and began firing again but was unable to connect. Current OVC Freshman of the Week Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) buried a jumper from the right elbow with four and a half minutes remaining and that would be BU's last field goal of the half as UTC continued streaking throughout the remainder of the first stanza and was able to take a 42-28 lead into the locker room.
Looking to spark their teammates, junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) opened the second half for the Bruins with a triple from the left side of the arc and Brooks hit a jumper in the lane to begin chipping away at the Lady Mocs lead. BU also intensified its defensive efforts by forcing a series of turnovers but was only able to convert on a handful of the chances.
The Bruins were plagued with a series of balls that rolled in and around the rim before hopping out midway through the second half. A pair of free throws Joubran made it a 20-point differential, 59-39, with just over 10 minutes left in regulation as BU continued to put in work on both sides of the ball. Two minutes later, the Bruins were nearly in the double bonus and Visbeen shined at the charity stripe, hitting six consecutive free throws after doing work under the basket. Unfortunately, those would be the only points the Bruins would score for more than a 10-minute span away from the stripe. With five minutes left in regulation, a three-pointer by Joubran and Visbeen's eighth and ninth free throws would close the gap to 20 again, 72-52, but that would be as close as BU would come for the remainder of the night. UTC closed the contest with a 12-0 run before Brooks was fouled on the last possession. She hit both and the Lady Mocs held the ball in the final seconds to take the game, 84-54.
Chattanooga shot 48.3 from the floor, 46.7 percent from three-point range and 73.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Lady Mocs held the advantage in rebounds, 39-31, assists, 14-7, and steals, 12-4.
Taylor Hall led UTC with a game-high 16 points. Also reaching double digits were Faith Dupree and Tatianna Jackson, who each added 12, and Ashlen Dewart, who added 10 points. Ka'Vonne Towns and Kylie Lambert led the team in rebounds, grabbing six apiece.
Belmont shot 32 percent from the hardwood, 27.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and a blistering 94.4 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in blocks, 5-2.
Brooks led the Bruins with 14 points followed by Visbeen, who added 13 after going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Joubran contributed nine points in the effort. Coleman led Belmont in rebounds for a third-consecutive contest, pulling down six.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, November 20 at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host first-time opponent Binghamton beginning at 6 p.m. The matchup can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. Live Stats and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
