Box Score ATHENS, Ga. -- In spite of a late rally down the stretch to recover from an icy first half performance, the Belmont women's basketball team (1-3) fell on the road at No. 10 Georgia (4-0) on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins fell 70-38 and slip to 1-3 on the young season.
After senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) netted the first jumper of the afternoon, both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm through the first 10 minutes of action, shooting a combined 32 percent. The Bruins went ice cold after Coleman's first basket for a span of nine minutes. By the 10:28 mark, the Lady Bulldogs had managed to build a 16-2 lead and the Bruins called a timeout.
BU's rim remained lidded through the midpoint of the contest despite great scoring opportunities inside and outside of the arc. Redshirt freshman Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) added two points under the basket, snapping the nine minute scoring drought but the spotty shooting would continue. By the six minute mark, Georgia had built a 27-point advantage, 31-4.
Belmont began to show signs of life as Coleman scored again and senior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.), spurred by a Bryce block on the opposite end, went on to net her first two of the day. In the final 70 seconds of the half, Brooks would score again from a jumper in the lane and the Bruins would turn up the defensive pressure on the other end. Bryce and sophomore Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) collected blocks to keep Georgia off the board in the final 30 seconds. BU would have the final points of the first half behind a pair at the charity stripe by sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) to head into the locker room down, 40-12.
Undaunted by the point deficit, the Bruins came out firing on all cylinders behind back-to-back triples by junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) and senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) to open the second half. Ernst continued to drill long distance shots to begin trimming the Lady Bulldogs lead down while Bryce forced turnovers under the basket on the other end. As the clock ticked near the 10-minute mark, the Bruins saw also point production from Tarrence and Visbeen.
Coleman was fouled on a lay-in and completed a three-point play as the Bruins forced a turnover to open the door for a Vaught lay-in to move the score to 63-36 with just over six and a half minutes left in regulation. BU was able to hold the Lady Bulldogs steady for four minutes before they hit the final field goal of the afternoon to pull away, 68-38. Georgia added two more free throws in the final 60 seconds to take the second-ever meeting between the programs, 70-38.
Georgia shot 39.7 percent from the floor, 28.6 percent from three-point range, and 75 percent from the free-throw line. The Lady Bulldogs held the advantage in rebounds, 53-29, assists, 19-8, and steals, 9-0.
UGA was led in scoring by Jasmine Hassell, who scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jasmine James also reached double figures adding 10.
Belmont shot 28.6 percent from the hardwood, 27.3 percent from behind the three-point arc and 60 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in blocks, 4-1.
Coleman narrowly missed her first double-double as a Bruin with a team-high nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Tarrence added eight points while Ernst and Brooks each contributed six points. Bryce had a game-high two blocks.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host first-time opponent Binghamton beginning at 6 p.m. The matchup can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network and seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Live stats and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
