Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Spotty shooting in the second half prevented the Belmont women's basketball team (4-12, 1-2 OVC) from maintaining a first half lead over visiting SIUE (7-9, 2-0 OVC) on Tuesday night at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins were held off, 67-52, and slip to 1-2 in OVC play.
The Bruins coupled a strong defensive effort with back-to-back tip-ins by freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) and senior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) to jump out to an early lead to open the contest. The Cougars trimmed the game to 6-5 before senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) exploded for her own 8-0 run to put Belmont on top, 14-5
SIUE's Sidney Smith was knocked to the floor as she hit a three pointer, moving the team to within five, 17-12, with 12:22 left on the clock but the Bruins put together another flurry to put distance between the teams. By the 8:32 mark, sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) worked hard in the paint to score six consecutive points to put BU on top, 28-20.
Suddenly, both teams found their rims lidded three minutes later. SIUE would crack the ice off their basket first and used it to build a 7-2 run to move within three, 30-27, with 11 ticks on the clock. McCabe helped BU emerge from the icy spell with a pair at the stripe but the Cougars would score at the buzzer to send the teams to the locker rooms separated by one point, 30-29.
After the break, SIUE quickly put together an 8-0 run to go up, 37-30, by the 18 minute mark. Finally, Tarrence drove through the lane to add two points, breaking the offensive silence that began in the final minute of the first stanza. Belmont would close the gap to four, 41-37, with just over 10 and a half minutes left in regulation. However, the spotty shooting would continue to plague the Bruins midway through the second half.
SIUE finally found an offensive rhythm down the stretch. BU was able to move within eight, 57-49, after a triple by senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) with just under three minutes remaining on the clock. However, the team was unable to build on the momentum and the Cougars used successive trips to the free-throw line to put distance between the teams. BU would find the bottom of the net two times in the final 60 seconds but SIUE was able to hold on for the 67-52 win.
SIUE shot 44.6 percent from the floor, 23.1 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line. The Cougars held the advantage in assists, 13-11, and steals, 9-7.
SIUE saw three players reach double figures led by Micah Jones, who netted 17 points, followed by Tierny Austin and Gwen Adams, who added 14 and 11 points, respectively. Adams, Austin and CoCo Moore each grabbed six rebounds.
Belmont shot 35.1 percent from the hardwood, 27.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe. The teams were even in rebounds with 35 apiece.
Joubran notched her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) added 10 points in the effort. Tarrence finished with a game-high six assists and three steals.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, January 10 for its first OVC contest on the road. The Bruins travel to Eastern Illinois for a matchup beginning at 1 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.
