Box Score CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Fueled by a momentum shift late in the first half, the Belmont women's basketball team (16-12, 10-5 OVC) used overtime to knock off Austin Peay (7-20, 2-13 OVC), 71-58, on the road Wednesday night. The win snaps a two-game skid for the Bruins and improves them to 10-5 in OVC heading into their final regular season game on Saturday.
The Bruins were first on the board at the top of the first stanza behind a tip-in by senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) but Austin Peay came firing back and used a 10-0 run to pull away 10-2 by the 13:39 mark. After going scoreless for seven minutes, sophomore Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) drained a three pointer from the left side of the arc, cutting the Lady Govs lead in half, 10-5, two minutes later. Austin Peay surged and by the eight and a half minute mark had managed to build a 12-point advantage, 22-10.
The Bruins, who had hampered by slow shooting up to that point, suddenly sprang to life and began firing on all pistons on both sides of the ball. Junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) netted eight consecutive points, including back-to-back triples, to get things started for BU. Sophomore Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) followed with another trifecta, forcing the APSU bench to burn a timeout, as Belmont closed the gap to within six, 22-16, with just over six minutes remaining on the clock.
The brief break in action only strengthened the Bruins comeback efforts as they clamped down defensively and began forcing turnovers, grabbing steals and more aggressively pulling down rebounds. In the final five minutes of the half, BU kept the Lady Govs from finding the bottom of the net to the tune of three points as they continued streaking on the opposite end of the floor. Another trey by Ernst and back-to-back jumpers by senior Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) made it a three-point game, 26-23, two minutes later. Carroll knocked down her second three pointer of the half, knotting the score at 26 with 3:07 left before the teams headed to the locker rooms. APSU briefly regained the lead on a three by Meghan Bussabarger but Vaught answered with a jumper from the left elbow to take a slim 30-29 lead into the break.
The Bruins continued to lean on strong defense to open the second half keeping Austin Peay from scoring for a span of six minutes, carrying back to the final two of the first half. Belmont maintained its defensive stranglehold on the contest, forcing APSU into another scoring drought, this one lasting more than four minutes. Over the same span, the Bruins continued to pile on the points, grabbing a six-point lead, 42-36, with just over nine minutes left in regulation.
Five minutes later, a free throw by redshirt sophomore Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) knotted the score at 52. Ernst followed with a pair at the charity stripe to give BU the 54-52 advantage. The Bruins began to use great clock management as the clock neared zero and attempted to drain the clock. Belmont's potential game winning attempt rimmed out with 45 seconds left. APSU felt the wrath of the Bruin defense once again as its potentially game winning shot sailed completely over the rim, forcing an overtime decision.
In the overtime, sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) completed a three-point play to give Belmont some breathing room with 3:44 remaining. Austin Peay made its lone field-goal of the extra period one minute later and spent the rest of overtime trying to stop the hot handed Bruins. BU reached the double bonus just before the end of the second half and used it to its advantage down the stretch. All told, BU went 12-for-13 at the charity stripe to close the game and outscored APSU, 17-4, in overtime. Ernst drilled her seventh triple of the night near the top of the arc with 13 seconds left on the clock to cement the 71-58 win.
Austin Peay shot 30.6 percent from the floor, 20 percent from three-point range, and 68.8 percent from the free-throw line. The Lady Govs held the advantage in steals, 14-5.
APSU was led in scoring by Tiasha Gray and Meghan Bussabarger, who scored 22 and 20 points, respectively. Nicole Olszewski led the team in rebounds, grabbing eight,
Belmont shot 33.3 percent from the hardwood, 35.7 percent from behind the three-point arc and 80.8 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 54-42, assists, 13-10, and blocks, 7-3.
BU was led in scoring by Ernst, who scored a game-high 25 points, and knocked down seven three pointers. Senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds and Luffman followed with 10 boards. Vaught finished with a game and career-high four blocks. Vaught, Tarrence and Brooks each finished with four assists.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday at the Curb Event Center, hosting Jacksonville State for their final game of the regular season. Tip-off set for 3 p.m. Senior day festivities honoring Katie Brooks, Jordan Coleman, Julianne Downs and Alyssa Visbeen will be held prior to tip-off. The game can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Live stats and a live Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
