NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For a second consecutive season, the Belmont women's basketball team has advanced to the OVC Tournament. This year, the Bruins clinched the top spot in the OVC East Division and the No. 2 seed heading into this week's tournament.
BU (13-16, 10-6 OVC) earned a double-bye into the semifinals of the OVC Tournament where it awaits the winner of the No. 3 Tennessee Tech vs. No. 6 Jacksonville State game on Thursday afternoon.
No. 3 Tennessee Tech enters the Tournament with a 12-17 overall record after going 9-7 in league play.
The Golden Eagles are led in scoring by Diamond Henderson, who is averaging 19.7 points per contest. Candace Parson also contributes in double digits, adding 10.1 points per game. Parson also leads the team in rebounds, grabbing 6.2 per outing.
Belmont swept the Golden Eagles this season on the hardwood but trails in all-time series 26-16.
No. 6 Jacksonville State advances to the semifinals after defeating No. 7 SIUE on Wednesday. JSU finished the regular season with a 12-17 mark and a 7-8 record in OVC play.
The Gamecocks have three players averaging in double digits, led by Candace Morton, who nets 16.6 points per game. Destany McLin adds 13.8 points while Miranda Cantrell contributes 10.3 points per outing. The team is led in rebounding by Cantrell, who is grabbing 7.4 per game.
The programs split this year's games with each winning on their own home courts. BU's 92-50 win over the Gamecocks in Nashville was the largest margin of victory this season for the team. BU leads the all-time series 6-3.
The Bruins come into the tournament with a great deal of momentum, having won six of their last eight outings to win the OVC East. BU also picked up two All-OVC postseason honors. Junior Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) was named to the First Team while classmate Taylor Mills (Corryton, Tenn.) was named to the All-Newcomer Team.
Friday's matchup against the winner of the No. 3 Tennessee Tech vs. No. 6 Jacksonville State game is set to tipoff at 2 p.m. at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. The contest can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and ESPN3. Fans can also listen to Dr. Rich Tiner on the play-by-play call on the Bruins Sports Network and follow along with in-game on Twitter (@BelmontWBB). Live stats will also be available.
