NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After a break for the Christmas holiday, the Belmont women's basketball team (3-10) is back on hardwood, gearing up for its first Ohio Valley Conference matchup in the Cameron Newbauer era. The Bruins travel to SIUE (3-9) for a mid-afternoon tilt on Saturday.
The Cougars enter Saturday's contest looking to shake off some holiday rust after being off the court since December 19. SIUE hopes to add more to the win column after snapping a two-game skid with a victory over Western Illinois on the road. The team has not been on its own court since November 26 playing in back-to-back tournaments.
SIUE has three players averaging in double digits, led by Tierny Austin, who is contributing 12.8 points per outing. CoCo Moore and Jessie Wendt add 11.1 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Austin also leads the team in rebounds, grabbing 7.3 per game.
Belmont leads the all-time series, 2-0, winning both meetings a year ago by a margin of 14 points or more.
The Bruins battled tough opponents in both of its matchups at the Puerto Rico Classic last week, falling to regional rival Western Kentucky before waging a tremendous comeback effort against first-time opponent UTEP, fueled by the return of senior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.), who knocked down five three pointers in the thrilling effort.
In just her second week as a Bruin, junior Taylor Mills (Corryton, Tenn.) earned the OVC Newcomer of the Week nod for her performances in San Juan, becoming the first player in the Newbauer era to receive the weekly honor.
Junior Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) leads BU in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounds, pulling down 7.3 per contest. Classmate Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) leads the team in assists with a total of 45 while sophomore Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) and freshman Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) lead the Bruins in blocks with seven apiece.
A pair of Bruins in the junior class is nationally ranked heading into this weekend's games. Luffman appears in four categories – 37th in double doubles with a total of five, 82nd in free-throw percentage (84.5), 145th in final points (180) and 241st in rebounds per game (7.3); Tarrence is ranked 212th in assists to turnover ratio (1.36).
Saturday's matchup is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. The game can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. Live stats and an in-game Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
