NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women's basketball team (0-1) will hit the hardwood of the Curb Event Center for the first time this season on Monday night. The Bruins will host former Atlantic Sun foe Mercer (1-0) for its 2013-14 home opener honoring veterans and kicking off its annual food drive to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank.
The Bears went 20-12 last season and finished third in the Atlantic Sun with a 13-5 record. MU opened the 2013-14 campaign with a 67-64 win over Western Carolina on Friday.
Mercer returns all but one starter from one year ago, led by Precious Bridges, who averaged 16.8 points per contest. Teanna Robinson is the top returning rebounder, after pulling down 8.0 boards per game last year.
MU and the Bruins both made appearances in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) one year ago.
Belmont leads the all-time series, 13-11. The teams last faced off during the 2011-12 season when BU was still a member of the Atlantic Sun. The Bears won both meetings that season.
The Bruins come into Monday's game looking for its first win of the season after being held off on the road at IUPUI last Friday.
Junior Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) led all Bruins with 16 points, matching her career high. Redshirt freshman Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and added five points in the effort.
Prior to tipoff, Belmont women's basketball in conjunction with Bruin Vets will honor military heroes for their service to our country. Military veterans can request complimentary tickets for the game as well.
The mission of Bruin Vets is to connect veteran students with the Belmont community and empower them to use their unique military experience to benefit others through proactive student-to-student mentorship, leadership and service, and off campus outreach opportunities.
Fans in attendance will also have a chance to donate to the Belmont Athletics' fourth annual food drive benefitting the Second Harvest Food Bank. Fans who donate two (2) non-perishable food items at the Curb Event Center Box Office will receive a single basketball game ticket at the group ticket rate, along with an entry to win two all-session passes to the 2014 OVC Basketball Tournament. One winner of the all-session tournament passes will be announced at each game. Donation ticket prices are $3 for adults and $1 for youth for women's games.
Fans are encouraged to donate (non-perishable) food items to help those in need. The most-needed food items are:
• Canned fruit, vegetables, soup and stews
• Canned tuna or chicken
• Peanut butter
• Cereal
• Pasta
Tipoff on Monday is set for 5:30 p.m. The game can be seen live via the internet on the OVC Digital Network and heard on the Bruins Sports Network. Live stats will also be available as well as a live Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB).
