Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Belmont University women's basketball team cruised to an 80-31 victory over visiting Young Harris, in its 2015-16 season opener Friday evening at the Curb Event Center.
"Good to get our first win under our belt. Any time you can force a team into 26 turnovers, you have to be happy with that," added Head Coach Cameron Newbauer. "We had 7-8 kids score at least eight points, so we had a pretty balanced attack."
A pair of freshman, Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) and Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.), each impressed in their respective collegiate debuts. Maggard tallied a game-high 16 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assits. Roy turned in a 9 point, 9 rebound game as she established her self in the post in her first game in the Bruin red and blue.
Roy spoke about her first collegiate appearance saying, " It was awesome. Putting on the uniform was such a good felling because we've practiced and worked so hard."
Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) poured in 10 while Lauren Thompson also tallied 10 points, to join Maggard in double figures. Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) turned in a nice performance as she finished with eight points, six boards and three assists.
Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wis.) and Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) each scored nine points in their BU debuts.
"Incredible, I've definitely wanted this for a long time. I was anxious to get out there so it was super rewarding," added Smith after the game.
At the half, the Bruins held a 38-18 advantage over the Mountain Lions as they closed the half with a 36-12 run. McCabe and Maggard each played well in the first stanza as both players nothced eight points.
Young Harris jumped out to a 4-2 advantage in the game's early moments, but after Newbauer settled his team with a timeout, things would escalate quickly from this juncture, in Belmont's favor. The Bruins would rattle off 13 consecutive points as they swiftly grabbed the game's momentum. Maggard had an exciting sequence of plays when she knocked down consecutive three-pointers to grow BU's 5-4 lead to 11-4. The latter of the two long distance jumpers, occurred after the freshman utilized a nifty cross over to create separation, much to delight of the crowd.
Starting the second half, the Bruins kept things rolling as they utilized a 14-2 scoring run to stretch the lead to 54-20 at the third quarter's first media timeout. Maggard converted two three-point field goals during this stretch.
BU outscored Young Harris 42-13 in the second half as they flexed their muscle's.
The Bruins held Young Harris to single digits in all four quarters of play. Belmont's bench, which played very well in the second half, tallied 27 points compared to just 14 from the Moutain Lion reserves.
"We look to build on this and get ready for Sunday," added Newbauer.
Friday's victory marked the first in a season opener for Newbauer.
The Bruins return to action Sunday as they welcome the UAB Blazer for a 4 p.m. CT tip at the Curb Event Center.
