Box Score CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont women's basketball team (4-14, 1-4 OVC) was tripped up by spotty shooting on the road at in-state rival Austin Peay (6-11, 3-1 OVC) on Thursday evening. The Bruins fell, 72-59, and slip to 1-4 in conference play.
Senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) opened the first half hot, putting up seven consecutive points to combat an offensively minded Lady Govs. A layup by rookie Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) put Belmont ahead, 9-8 but APSU quickly answered back and went on a 15-2 tear to pull away, 23-11, by the 10 minute mark. Finally, a pair at the stripe by sophomore Madison Blevins (Knoxville, Tenn.) snapped the icy spell that had ticked into its fifth minute. However, BU continued to struggle with shooting from the floor.
Freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) uncapped the lid with a skyhook in the paint, moving the Bruins to within 11, 28-17 with just over five and a half minutes left on the clock. Austin Peay continued to pile on the points, expanding its lead to as many as 19 before Belmont whittled it down to 14, 38-24, after a triple from the top of the arc by freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) and the front end of a pair at the stripe by senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) with 11 ticks left on the clock. However, APSU was fouled before time expired, going on to hit both at the stripe to take a 40-24 lead into the locker room.
After the break, the Bruins hustled to make up the gap, putting in work on both sides of the ball. After forcing three Austin Peay turnovers in 90 seconds, Belmont added to its tally, courtesy of sophomore Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) and Jones. The flurry that closed the differential to 15 points, 50-35, forced the Lady Govs to burn a timeout.
Belmont continued to push as time neared expiration, battling back from a 21-point deficit to get as close as 16, 63-47, with just over five minutes left on the clock, after a triple from the left side of the arc by Carroll. Unfortunately, spotty shooting continued to plague the Bruins through the remainder of the second half. The Bruins dug in once more, finding point production from sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.), senior Natalie Cohlmeyer (Evansville, Ind.) from long range and senior Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) in the final two minutes. The flurry moved BU to within 13, 72-59, but Austin Peay would hold the ball until time expired to take the game by the same score.
Austin Peay shot 45.2 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and 55.6 percent from the free-throw line. The Lady Govs held the narrow advantage in rebounds, 45-44, assists, 13-9, and steals, 8-7.
APSU saw three players reach double digits – Tearra Banks had a game-high 16 points, Tiasha Gray added 15, followed by Kirsten Stainback with 13 points. Banks also had a game-high nine rebounds.
Belmont shot 31.3 percent from the hardwood, 20 percent from behind the three-point arc and 59.1 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in blocks, 6-4.
Luffman-Hartsfield was the lone Bruin in double figures with 12 points. Joubran pulled down six rebounds. McCabe finished with a game-high three blocks.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, wrapping its road swing with a stop at Murray State. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. The matchup 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.
