Box Score ATLANTA, Ga. – A late push in the final three minutes of regulation saw the Belmont women's basketball team (3-5) tripped up on the road on Wednesday afternoon. The Bruins were edged 87-84, at Georgia State (1-5) in the final seconds of regulation.
Both teams had a slow start to open the contest, each going 0-3 from the floor before sophomore Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) nailed a triple from the top of the arc to put Belmont on top. The Bruins then went on a 5-0 run, capped by a driving layup by junior Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) to take a 10-3 lead.
Georgia State quickly rallied to make up the gap and by the 12 minute mark, they had moved to within seven, 18-11. However, BU rallied and turned up the heat from behind the arc, seeing treys fall from junior Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) and classmate Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.). By the 8:32 mark, GSU had dug in its heels and used a series of transitions to close to gap to one, 25-24, behind an 8-0 run. One minute later, a three pointer by Alisha Andrews knotted the score at 27 but the Bruins refused to relinquish the lead.
GSU slipped into an icy spell that had them silent from the hardwood for upwards of four and a half minutes as the Bruins went on to rebuild a double digit lead behind shots by freshmen Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) and Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.), Luffman and classmate Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.). After the flurry, BU found itself ahead by 15, 44-29, with two and a half minutes remaining before the teams headed to the locker rooms. Another Andrews three was answered with a jumper by redshirt sophomore Katherine Zander (Orange Park, Fla.) one minute later. Belmont closed the half on a pair of free throws by Joubran, taking a 48-32 lead into halftime.
After the break, the Bruins remained aggressive defensively, holding the Panthers off the scoreboard for the first three minutes. Georgia State called timeout just before BU rolled to its largest lead of the day, 23 points, 57-34, behind a 9-2 run.
GSU dug its collective heels in and surged, stringing together a gutsy 20-5 run, spurred by a succession of quick steals and turnovers. Belmont was able to hold on to its double digit lead through the midpoint of the half.
The Panthers kept clawing and soon had moved to within just five points, 72-67 by the 7:16 mark, taking advantage of a three minute scoring drought by the Bruins. BU was able to expand its lead to nine, 76-67, after a trey by junior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) but that would be its largest for the remainder of the afternoon. Georgia State kept chipping away at the Belmont lead and had closed the gap to three, 76-73, with 4:38 left in regulation. The Bruins, who continued to find the bottom of the net, struggled to hold off the surging Panthers in the waning minutes.
With one minute left in regulation, GSU made a huge stand, forcing a turnover and picking up a foul in quick succession. With both free throws made, Georgia State was within striking distance and was able to take the lead for the first time in the game, 85-84, behind a Kayla Nolan layup with 32 seconds left on the clock. Another foul sent Nolan to the line where she hit both to increase the lead to three.
Belmont called its final timeout with 6.6 ticks left on the clock and came out of the break, launching threes. Both attempts clanged off the rim, sealing the narrow 87-84 win for the Panthers, their first of the season
"I just let the game come to me and from there, we just went out there and played hard," Luffman said. "I have to give credit to my teammates who never gave up during the game and constantly encouraging each other. I'm thankful to be a part of a team that's like ours.
"We are looking forward to this quick break to spend time with our families but at the same time, we really cannot wait to get back in the gym. It was a close game today and we will spend more time focusing on the little things to get ready for our next game."
Luffman scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Carroll, playing in front of a huge home crowd, dropped in 15 points, spurred by a career-high five three pointers. Joubran rounded out BU's double digit scorers with a career-high 13 points. Tarrence collected seven assists.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, December 3 with a stop at first-time opponent Wake Forest. Tipoff is slated for 6pm CT. Live stats and video will be available and the game can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. Live in-game tweeting will be available on Twitter by following @BelmontWBB.
