Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women's basketball team (2-1) picked up its second-straight win of the season on Thursday night in the annual Battle of the Boulevard matchup with Lipscomb (0-3). The Bruins picked up their fifth consecutive win in the series with its 68-52 victory at Allen Arena.
The Bruins won the tip and were the first to find the bottom of the net on a jumper by junior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.). The longtime rivals then fell into a back and forth battle, trading baskets for the next three and a half minutes. Suddenly, the Bruins broke the game open with back-to-back triples by juniors Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) and Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) followed by a jumper in the lane by redshirt freshman Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.), helping BU to take a 14-6 lead by the 13:18 mark.
BU continued to pour on the points, blowing its lead up to 10 points, 23-13, and forcing the Lady Bisons to call timeout in hopes of cooling Belmont's hot hands with just under eight minutes remaining on the clock. LU was able to trim the gap to nine points, 25-16, after the brief break but the Bruins were able to take advantage of an icy spell from the floor by Lipscomb and increased their point advantage with shots coming from Luffman.
LU went on to only score four points in the final four and a half minutes, all coming from the free-throw line. Belmont added two more to its point tally with a layup by Tarrence, allowing the Bruins to take a 32-20 lead into the locker room.
After the break, Lipscomb attempted to quickly make up ground with a pair of three point shots but sophomore Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) hustled in the paint for consecutive tip-ins to keep BU ahead by double digits in the first three minutes of the second half. Belmont slipped into a three minute scoring drought but was strong enough defensively to keep the Lady Bisons from making up any ground. Tarrence was fouled driving for a layup and knocked down the awarded free-throw to notch her first and one play that expanded BU's lead to 11, 41-30, with 12:28 on the clock.
Lipscomb was able to move within seven points but a triple by junior Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) put the Bruins back on top by 10, 46-36, with 9:44 remaining in regulation. BU turned on the afterburners and was able to string together a run, grabbing its largest lead of the game 20 points, 64-44, by the 2:52 mark. As time neared expiration, LU was able to trim Belmont's lead to 16 but BU went on to cruise to the 68-52 victory.
Lipscomb shot 32 percent from the floor, 24 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the free-throw line. The Lady Bisons held the narrow advantage in rebounds, 39-37, and steals, 4-3.
LU was led in scoring by Ashley Southern, who netted 11 points. Chandler Cooper and Faith LeGate added 10 points apiece. Southern picked up a double-double with a game-high 16 rebounds.
Belmont shot 42.6 percent from the hardwood, 29.4 percent from behind the three-point arc and 78.6 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in assists, 13-7, and blocks, 4-2.
Belmont saw four players reach double digits, led by junior Luffman's game-high 14 points. Bryce added 13 followed by junior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) with 12 and classmate Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) with 10. Luffman was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. Bryce and freshman Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) finished with two blocks each. Tarrence notched a season and game-high six assists.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday, November 17 at in-state rival Chattanooga. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT. The game will have live stats and video available. The contest can also be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. A live Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
