Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women's basketball team (14-10, 9-3 OVC) used a strong second half performance to pick up its second win of the season over Morehead State (8-16, 4-6 OVC) on Monday night at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins outscored the Eagles, 30-14, in the second half en route to their 59-45 victory. The win improves BU to 9-3 in the OVC and puts the team back in first place in the East Division.
The teams immediately began trading baskets to open the first half, until the Bruins briefly pulled away, 10-5, behind jumpers by seniors Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn.) and Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) with 14:45 remaining on the clock. Morehead State quickly got back into the game and by the 12 minute mark had knotted the score at 13. The Bruins dug in their heels and pulled ahead again, 22-16, after two layups and two free throws by sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) and a trey by junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) five minutes later.
Another triple by Ernst expanded BU's lead to six, 26-20, with just under four minutes left before the break. Mackenzie Arledge netted a three and the team followed with a pair at the line to inch within one before Ernst rainbowed another trifecta to put more distance between the teams two minutes later. MSU went on to complete a three-point play to close the gap to one point again, 29-28, with less than 30 seconds left. The Eagles looked to hold for the final shot of the half and called timeout and went on to drill a three pointer at the buzzer to take a slim, 31-29, lead into the locker room.
After the break, the Bruins immediately went to work with senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) netting a jumper in the paint to knot the score at 31 barely 10 seconds in. Brooks followed with her trademark jumper from the top of the key to put BU back on top. The Eagles fell silent from the floor for the first six minutes of the second stanza as Belmont turned up the defensive heat. The Bruins continued to pile on the points, putting together an 8-0 run to go up 37-31 over the same span.
Suddenly, the Bruins found their offensive rhythm for nearly five minutes. However, their intense defensive effort continued to keep Morehead State from adding to their point tally during the same stretch. Slowly, the Eagles attempted to emerge from their ill-paced scoring drives but continued to struggle against the Bruin defense and could only move as close as five, 42-37, with 7:42 remaining.
Two minutes later, Visbeen skyhooked in a heavily contested shot to put BU on top by nine, 46-37, before MSU used a pair of three pointers to move within five again with just over four minutes left on the clock.
As time ticked into its final three minutes of regulation, the Bruins combined their strong clock management skills with tough defense to secure its season series sweep. BU kept Morehead State from scoring for the final four minutes of the contest as it closed the game on a 9-0 run, cementing the 59-45 win.
Morehead State shot 29.2 percent from the floor, 35 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. The Eagles held the advantage in steals, 8-3.
MSU was led in scoring by Terrice Robinson, who netted a game-high 21 points. Mackenzie Arledge also reached double digits, adding 12.
Belmont shot 39.3 percent from the hardwood, 30.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and 64.7 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 44-29, assists, 15-9, and blocks, 7-4.
Four Bruins reached double digits in scoring, led by Tarrence, who netted a career-high 15 points. Visbeen, Ernst, and Brooks rounded out the double digit scorers with, 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively. Coleman pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds and narrowly missed a double-double with eight points. She also matched her career-high of seven rebounds. Redshirt freshman Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) matched her career-high of three blocks.
Belmont returns to action on February 11 against former Atlantic Sun rival Lipscomb for the team's annual Pack the House game. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. The contest can be seen on the OVC Digital Network and heard live via the internet on the Bruin Sports Network. Live stats, video and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
