Box Score MOREHEAD, Ky. – After shooting as precise as 77.8 percent in the second half, the Belmont women's basketball team (13-9, 8-2 OVC) rolled over Morehead State (7-15, 3-5 OVC) on the road Monday night. The win improves the Bruins to 8-2 in the OVC and gives the team its sixth win in seven outings.
The Bruins opened the game with a quick 14-0 run with back-to-back trifectas by sophomore Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) and junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) and layups by seniors Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.), Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.), and Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.). Morehead State called a timeout to regroup and finally netted its first points of the night five minutes in with a three pointer by Casey Ryans. The Bruins continued streaking adding points from all over the floor and forced six turnovers by the midway points of the half and netting 14 points off the turns.
Even with a four minute lapse in scoring by BU, the Eagles could not a make a dent in the Bruins' 19-point lead, 33-14, or get around their defensive wall to even get in scoring position as the half neared its end. Finally, it appeared that the Eagles woke up in the final 90 seconds of the half, quickly adding four points. Morehead State went on to net a three pointer with one-tenth of a second remaining on the clock to separate the teams by 12 points, 33-21, heading into the locker rooms.
After the break, the Bruins continued piling on the points, going on a 7-1 run, accented by a pair of triples by Ernst, to go up, 40-22, by the 18 minute mark. Ernst suddenly exploded behind the arc, knocking down three triples. By the 10 and a half minute mark, the Bruins used a jumper by sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) to grab their first 30-plus point advantage, 62-31.
MSU managed to cut the deficit to 28, 64-36, two minutes later but that would be as close as it would come for the remainder of the night. With the help of being in the double-bonus, Belmont built up a 40-point advantage in the final two and a half minutes of regulation as freshman Natalie Cohlmeyer (Evansville, Ind.) drained back to back three pointers to put the Bruins up 84-43. The Bruins leaned on strong clock management in the waning time. Redshirt freshman Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) pushed through the paint for a layup in the final 45 seconds that would be the final points of the night to seal the game's score at 88-45 in favor of the Bruins.
BU shot an identical 77.8 percent from the floor and at the line in the second half of action, en route to outscoring the Eagles 55-24 in the stanza.
MSU shot 33.3 percent from the floor, 30 percent from three-point range, and 55 percent from the free-throw line.
The Eagles were led in scoring by Casey Ryans, who netted 17 points. She also led the team in rebounds with seven.
Belmont shot 64.8 percent from the hardwood, 50 percent from behind the three-point arc and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 34-20, assists, 20-11, blocks, 4-2, and steals, 8-5.
Ernst led all scorers with 18 points, from six buckets from behind the arc. Brooks added 16 and Visbeen contributed 15. Visbeen also led the team in rebounds, pulling down seven. Coleman finished with a game and season-high seven assists, three blocks and two steals.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, February 2 at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host in-state rival Tennessee Tech in a Homecoming duel beginning at 5 p.m.
