Box Score OXFORD, Miss. -- The Belmont women's basketball team (5-6) saw its three-game win streak snapped on the road Sunday afternoon. Despite a strong rally in the second half, the Bruins fell at Ole Miss (6-2), 63-48.
The Bruins won the tip and were first to find the bottom of the net with a jumper in the lane by senior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.). Ole Miss was able to match the first basket on the other end but both teams slipped into a brief scoring drought before redshirt sophomore Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) got BU back into the game with a pair of steals and a layup. The Rebels were able to put together a quick scoring flurry to pull away 17-9 by the eight minute mark.
Sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) drove the ball down the center of the lane for her first points of the game and senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) followed with a triple near the top of the arc to move the Bruins to within one, 17-16, with 6:01 left on the clock. After helping to force a turnover on the other end, Visbeen was fouled and sent to the line where she knocked down both at the charity stripe to put Belmont on top, 18-17. However, UM was able to regain the lead, capitalizing on a three minute icy spell by BU but a strong defensive effort kept the Rebels in check and they were only able to expand their lead to six, 24-18.
Belmont surged once again, this time behind another driving basket by Tarrence and a lay-in by Visbeen, to close the gap to two, 24-22, with just over 30 seconds left before the break. Ole Miss held for the final shot of the half and was able to find the bottom of the net with three ticks remaining to take a 26-22 lead into the locker room.
After the break, the Bruins came out hot to make up lost ground with three consecutive shots coming from senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) and Visbeen to help make it a one possession game three minutes in. Ole Miss sprang to life and went on an 11-2 run to go up, 43-32, by the 14:45 mark, forcing the Bruin bench to burn a timeout to regroup. Suddenly, Belmont found its rim lidded and the team was unable to score for nearly six minutes, allowing the Rebels to build a double digit lead, going up by as many as 17, 49-32, by the 11:21 mark.
A jumper from the right elbow by Brooks broke the ice off the rim and boosted BU's confidence. With the rim uncapped, the Bruins assembled a series of baskets led by Coleman that stunned the Ole Miss bench into calling a timeout after BU closed to within nine, 51-42, with just over six minutes left in regulation. Spotty shooting plagued Belmont in the waning minutes and that would be as close as it would come as Ole Miss rebuilt its double digit lead with the help of multiple trips to the free-throw line. Despite some quick points added by BU in the final two and a half minutes, the Rebels went on to take the contest, 63-48.
Ole Miss shot 36.8 percent from the floor, a frigid 9.1 percent from three-point range and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Rebels held the advantage in rebounds, 47-31, and steals, 14-8.
UM had three players reach double digits, led by Tia Faleru's 13 points. Valencia McFarland and Diara Moore each added 12 points. Moore also led the team in rebounds, grabbing nine.
Belmont shot 35.1 percent from the hardwood, 12.5 percent from behind the three-point arc and 75 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in assists, 14-9. The teams were even in blocks with one apiece.
Coleman notched her third double-double of the season with a game-high 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Visbeen added 11 and Luffman added eight points in the effort. Brooks finished with a game-high six assists.
Belmont returns to action on Thursday, December 21. The Bruins are on the road for a contest at Cincinnati. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. CT. The matchup can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. Live stats, video and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
