Box Score CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Belmont women's basketball team (2-8) battled down to the final seconds on Tuesday afternoon but was held off on the road at Cleveland State (5-3), 89-86.
Belmont exploded on both sides of the ball from the opening whistle and immediately set the Vikings back on their collective heels. However, CSU was able to use a three-point play to knot the game at nine three minutes into the game but the Bruins pulled away again behind the hot hand of sophomore Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.), who netted eight of BU's first 11 points.
The Bruins continued to find their stride offensively, knocking down buckets all over the floor to the tune of 70 percent accuracy for the first part of the half. BU blew its lead up to 28-23 behind back-to-back layups by freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) and senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) by the 10:27 mark. Suddenly, Belmont slipped into an icy spell that lasted four minutes but a tough defensive effort kept the Vikings at bay. Finally, Thompson nailed a jumper in the paint to halt the drought. Cleveland State kept chipping away at the BU lead and had moved to within four 35-31 with 4:21 on the clock.
A steal and a fast break layup by freshman Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) put BU ahead, 40-33, their largest lead of the half, with just under three minutes left on the clock. The Vikings took advantage of another Belmont scoring drought and used a 7-0 run to close the gap and tie the game at 40 with 22 ticks remaining. Neither team was able to find the bottom of the net in the waning seconds and the teams headed to their respective locker rooms locked at 40.
After the break, the Bruins wasted little time snapping their drought that carried over from the first half with a free-throw by sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.). The teams traded baskets before McCabe and Jones drilled back-to-back triples to put Belmont back on top, 51-50, by the 13:13 mark.
The teams went back to trading baskets and three minutes later, Cleveland State managed to convert a three-point opportunity to go up 61-57 but Joubran converted one of her own to make it a one-point game 61-60, with 10:46 remaining. CSU unleashed flurry of shots to grab its biggest lead of the day, five, 65-60, but the Bruins clawed back, spurred by a triple by senior Taylor Mills (Corryton, Tenn.) and a put back jumper by Joubran to move Belmont back to within two, 67-65, with just over eight minutes left in the contest.
The game returned to a crazy back and forth battle down the stretch, resulting in three ties in the second half alone. CSU used several free-throw line trips to try to pull away down the stretch the Bruins refused to go away quietly. By the 3:55 mark, Belmont was leading once again, 76-75, but one minute and 30 seconds later behind a flawless performance by Imani Gordon at the line, the Vikings were ahead by six, 84-78. Senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) converted a three-point opportunity and Mills followed with a three pointer from near the top of the arc to make it a one possession game, 86-84, with 90 seconds remaining.
BU managed the clock well in the waning seconds but was unable to regain the lead. Senior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) battled for a layup in the paint to keep the Bruins within striking distance, 88-86, but could not close the gap. CSU netted one final free throw and played keep away to seal the 89-86 win.
Cleveland State shot 57.4 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from three-point range and 72.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Vikings held the advantage in blocks, 6-2.
Belmont shot 52.3 percent from the hardwood, 44 percent from behind the three-point arc and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 31-28, assists, 20-19, and steals, 9-5.
For the first time this season, five Bruins reached double figures in scoring. Mills led the Bruins with 17 points, with all but three coming from behind the arc. Joubran contributed 15 points, followed by McCabe with 11. Thompson and Jones each added 10 points. Luffman-Hartsfield had a team-high seven rebounds and Tarrence had six.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, December 19 on the road at former conference foe Mercer. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. CT. The contest can be heard live on the Bruins Sports Network and live stats will be available. A live, in-game Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
