Box Score MURRAY, Ky. -- The Belmont women's basketball team (5-14, 2-4 OVC) battled back from a deficit to notch its first OVC road win on Saturday. The Bruins knocked off Murray State (5-13, 0-5 OVC), 79-68, improving to 2-4 in conference play.
The Bruins clamped down on the Racers on both sides of the ball from the opening whistle. By the 14:06 mark, BU had hustled and built a 10-0 run to go up, 13-6, after back-to-back layups by sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) and senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.), forcing the MSU bench to burn a timeout. Belmont kept up the pressure, battling for every loose ball and rebound. Murray State closed the gap to a single possession but Belmont streaked again, fueled by triples by senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.). The quick flurry put the Bruins on top by nine, 29-20, with five minutes left on the clock.
Murray State began whittling away at the lead and used a three to knot the score at 32 with 20 ticks remaining on the clock before the break. Belmont attempted to hold for the final shot of the half but the Racers came up with the steal and a fast break layup to take a narrow 34-32 lead into the locker room.
After the break, the Bruins found their rim lidded for the first three and a half minutes, allowing the Racers to pull away by as many as nine, 41-32. Suddenly, the Bruins found a terrific offensive rhythm that fired on all cylinders from all over the floor. BU saw point production from freshmen Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) and Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.), Joubran and capped by a three pointer by Luffman-Hartsfield that tied the game at 46.
Murray State went ice cold from the hardwood as the Bruins continued to produce in the paint. By the 4:11 mark, BU was on top by 11, 67-56. The Racers would not go down without a fight, however. MSU tried to used being in the double bonus in the final two and a half minutes but the Bruins redoubled their efforts to hold on to their lead. MSU would inch to within seven but Belmont beat back the surge. A triple by Jones and a pair at the charity stripe by Carroll gave BU its largest lead, 74-64, with 1:07 left in regulation. The Bruins used the clock to their advantage and used three consecutive trips to the stripe to seal the 79-68 victory.
Murray State shot 35.8 percent from the hardwood, 18.8 percent from three-point range and 63 percent from the free-throw line.
The Racers were led in scoring by Olivia Cunningham, who netted 16 points, followed by Netanya Jackson's 14 and Keiona Kirby's 10 points. Kirby also led the team in rebounds with 12 rebounds.
Belmont shot 46.8 percent from the hardwood, 35.7 percent from behind the three-point arc and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 47-42, assists, 15-13, blocks, 7-2, and steals, 5-2.
Five Bruins reached double digits, led by Joubran's game-high 20 points. She also notched her ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds. Luffman-Hartsfield and McCabe each contributed 15 points, Jones added 12, followed by Carroll with 10 points. McCabe finished with a game-high three blocks.
Belmont returns to action on Wednesday, January 21 at the Curb Event Center. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. The contest 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.
