Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- An offensive explosion by freshman Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) helped lead the Belmont Women's Basketball team (6-14, 3-4 OVC) to its second consecutive win on Wednesday night at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins defeated Jacksonville State (12-7, 3-4 OVC), 70-66, in a rematch of last year's OVC Tournament semifinal game. With the win, BU improves to 3-4 in the OVC.
The contest opened with a fierce back and forth battle for the first four minutes before Belmont pulled ahead, 7-6. Suddenly, freshman Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) exploded and tallied 11 points by the 11:43 mark. All told, by the eight and a half minute mark, Jones has netted 13 points while the Gamecocks had only tallied 18 as a whole team.
Jacksonville State struggled to put together any offensive effort under the stringent Bruin defense, which left it sputtering down the stretch. JSU was only able to score twice over a five minute span and with just five minutes left on the clock, found itself down 11, 29-18, after Jones converted a three-point opportunity. The Bruins hustled to hold on to their lead in the final three minutes of the stanza, despite JSU slowly chipping away at it. The Gamecocks finally found an offensive rhythm in the final 1:15 and went on a 7-0 run to close the half and narrow the gap. However, Belmont was able to take a 35-31 advantage into the locker room, after smartly using the clock to its advantage.
After the break, the teams resumed trading baskets with Jacksonville State intent on closing the point differential. However, BU turned the heat up once again with senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) grabbing a steal and feeding classmate Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.), who hustled down the court for a fast break layup to expand BU's lead to seven, 43-36, by the 16 minute mark. A stunned JSU bench called timeout to regroup but the brief break did not quell the Bruins' fire.
Belmont continued to lean on a strong defense through the midpoint of the half to help stifle every Gamecock attempt at regaining ground. Jacksonville State keyed in on shots from behind the arc to make up ground quickly and by the 5:34 mark, it had inched to within six points, 60-54. However, the Bruins were able to use the clock effectively in the waning minutes. JSU made another push in the final two and a half minutes to overtake the contest but the Bruins remained steady. Using a triple by Luffman-Hartsfield and a driving layup by classmate Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.), BU went up 67-59.
The Gamecocks dug in their heels in the final 60 seconds for a final push and used a three pointer with 21.8 seconds left to cut the deficit to five points, 69-64. JSU burned its last two timeouts to strategize but the Bruins maintained their composure and control of the clock. The Gamecocks resorted to fouling to try to avoid the inevitable but Belmont continued to knock down shots at the stripe. JSU knocked down a jumper a buzzer but it was too little too late as BU held on for the 70-66 victory.
Jacksonville State shot 35.7 percent from the floor, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line. The Gamecocks held the advantage in rebounds, 39-36.
JSU saw five players reach double digits – Candace Morton had 14, Courtney Strain had 12, Briana Benson had 11 and Tyler Phelion and Destany McLin had 10 points apiece. Phelion led the team with nine rebounds.
Belmont shot 50.9 percent from the hardwood, 30.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and 60 percent at the charity stripe. BU held the advantage in assists, 17-10, blocks, 4-2, and steals, 4-3.
Five Bruins reached double figures, led by Jones' career and game-high 18 points. Sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) notched her 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) and freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) each contributed 12 points while senior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) added 10 points and a game-high two blocks.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, January 24 when it travels to take on crosstown rival Tennessee State. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. and the contest can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. It can also be heard on the Bruins Sports Network. Live stats and an in-game Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
