RICHMOND, Ky. – A rally late in the second half fell just short on the road for the Belmont women's basketball team (12-9, 7-2 OVC) on Saturday afternoon. After battling back from being down by as many as 12, the Bruins were edged at Eastern Kentucky (11-7, 5-2 OVC), 55-51. The loss snaps a five-game win streak for BU but the team still retains first place in the East Division with a 7-2 record.
The Bruins were the first to score in the opening minute behind a triple from the corner by sophomore Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) but EKU was able to use three consecutive blocks to knot the score two minutes later. The Lady Colonels continued to turn up the defensive heat and soon was able to pull away before junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) hit a jumper and senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) followed with two at the stripe to trim the lead to three, 10-7, by the 13 minute mark.
The defensive tug of war continued throughout the first stanza with neither squad adding a point to the scoreboard away from the free-throw line for four minutes when Raechele Gray and senior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) traded jumpers in the lane. Senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) followed with a three pointer from the top of the arc to move the Bruins to within one, 14-13, with just over eight minutes remaining on the clock. A driving layup by redshirt sophomore Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) gave Belmont its first lead since the opening basket.
Suddenly, EKU exploded offensively and was able to close the half with a 15-2 run. BU went ice cold from the hardwood and was unable to find the bottom of the net for the final 3:44 of the half after sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) sank a jumper from the left elbow. The Lady Colonels held the ball for the final seconds and were able to take a 33-21 lead into the locker room.
Eastern Kentucky continued its defensive pressure to open the second stanza of action, keeping the Bruins off the scoreboard for almost three minutes until Ernst drilled a three pointer at the 17:49 mark. BU fell silent from the floor again for a three minute span before exploding for a 15-2 run to cut the game to six, 43-37, with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Lady Colonels were completely halted offensively and were unable to find a field goal or hit a free-throw for more than eight minutes during the same span. Alex Jones hit the back end of a pair at the line with 5:50 on the clock but it would be almost another minute before EKU would hit its first field goal in nine minutes. With its rim finally uncapped, EKU was able to add seven points to stay ahead of the Bruins, 50-44, with three and a half minutes left in the game. The Lady Colonels would blow their lead back up to eight, 52-44, with 1:56 remaining.
After another icy spell, the Bruins attempted to make up ground quickly in the waning minutes but missed three consecutive three pointer attempts even after hustling to grab each offensive rebound. With one minute left in regulation, BU found itself down by six, 52-46, before Ernst drained a three pointer from near the top of the arc with 32 ticks left on the clock. Belmont called timeout and was forced to foul as the clock hurried toward zero. Gray only hit one of two at the line to put four points between the teams, 53-49, 10 seconds later. EKU called timeout and after the brief break, both teams came out fired up. The Bruins looked for a three pointer and finding none as the clock ticked into its final 10 seconds saw Tarrence hit a jumper in the lane to make it a two-point game, 53-51. With just two seconds left, BU was forced to foul again and this time Gray hit both, securing the 55-51 win and splitting this year's series between the teams.
Eastern Kentucky shot 32.7 percent from the floor, 22.2 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the free-throw line. EKU held the advantage in rebounds, 42-36, blocks, 4-1, and steals, 6-5.
The Lady Colonels were led in scoring by Alex Jones, who picked up a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Raechele Gray also reached double figures, adding 10. Jade Barber finished with 10 rebounds.
Belmont shot 31 percent from the hardwood, 35.7 percent from behind the three-point arc and 76.9 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in assists, 8-6, and forced 14 EKU turnovers to add 13 points to their tally.
Reigning OVC Newcomer of the week senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds to lead BU. Senior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.), junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.), redshirt sophomore Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.), sophomores Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) and Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) each contributed eight points. Redshirt freshman Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) picked up one block. Luffman and Coleman finished with two steals apiece.
Belmont returns to action on Monday night, wrapping up this week's road trip with a stop at Morehead State. The contest, which tips off at 5 p.m. CT can be seen on the OVC Digital Network and heard live via the internet on the Bruin Sports Network. Live stats, video and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
