Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Paced by a 20 point, 10 rebound game on the part of freshman Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wis.), the Belmont University women's basketball team claimed a 90-68 victory over Lipscomb in the Battle of the Boulevard Wednesday evening at Allen Arena.
Following the lead of the Belmont men's team who exploded for 105 points last night in its version of the Battle of the Boulevard, the women put on an offensive show of their own on Wednesday night. The Bruins shot a sizzling 52.2% from the field and 42.9% from three point land. The Bruins assisted on 29 of their 35 field goals (82.8%) an exceptional mark.
"I'm happy with our performance overall tonight in all four quarters. Our team did a good job playing through the turnovers and sticking together. I'm really excited for the effort we put forth as a team," Head Coach Cameron Newbauer said after the win.
Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) fell just shy of a triple double as she scored 12 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds. Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) was a force in the paint all night with 18 points and eight rebounds. Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.), Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.), Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) also scored in double digits. Belmont featured six double-digit scorers for the first time this season.
McCabe praised the passing of her teammates saying, "Honestly all I had to do was post up tonight and the guards were going to get the ball to me. They've been passing the ball really well and it makes my job really easy."
Harmeyer, who has combined for 46 points in her past two games, provided a nice lift off the Belmont bench. She helped put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter when she knocked down three early 3 pointers.
Smith followed up her great 24 point performance against Troy with a 16 point performance against the Bisons. Roy added 12 off the bench, including two 3 pointers. Thompson nearly recorded a double double with a 10 point, nine rebound performance. The 6'1 junior blocked three shots and added three assists in addition.
Thompson noted that the Bruins' size in their front court players was a crucial factor in the win saying, "I think we definitely had the size advantage on them which is always nice. Ball movement definitely helps swinging the ball on the outside and getting position really helps us."
After Lipscomb outscored BU 21-19 in the second quarter, Belmont put together a string of several impressive offensive possessions to open the second half. This run, which at its largest was 13-2, helped BU take control of the game. McCabe was the fed the ball early and often during this run as she finished the third quarter with six points on 3-of-3. Belmont stretched its lead to as many as 19 in the third quarter and allowed Lipscomb to score just 12 points in the quarter.
Newbauer spoke of his team's halftime adjustments saying, "We just talked a lot about sharing the ball with the pass and not the dribble. We cut down some turnovers in the third quarter but also defensively we stepped up and took away some things they wanted to do."
The Bruins headed into half time with a 45-37 lead over the Bisons. Belmont shot 50% from the field in the first half, while knocking down 46.7% of its 3 pointers. BU hit seven 3 pointers in the first half, and scored the almost half its first half field goals via the three ball. McCabe had 12 points and five rebounds at the break, while Maggard finished the half with nine. Maggard carried the momentum gained during her strong second performance against Troy last time out, into the Battle of the Boulevard, as she knocked her first three 3 point attempts.
Belmont started off the game scorching hot from the field with a 12-2 run. The Bruins converted their first five field goal attempts. Lipscomb responded with an 11-3 run of its own to get itself back into the game. Belmont led 26-16 after the first quarter.
Belmont is now 6-1 for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
"We have a lot of people who can a lot of different things, so even if someone is not playing well one night, I know someone will step up in another area and do what they need to do help us win," added Thompson.
BU now leads the Battle of the Boulevard series 45-28.
The Bruins used their size in the paint to help them outrebound Lipscomb 50-31.
"Overall it's the unselfishness of our team. We talk about it a lot, it's the culture we want to build. It's our players just fighting for each other and fighting for the team, it's them putting themselves second behind the team," remarked Newbauer.
The Bruins return to action Sunday afternoon as they travel to Wake Forest for a 1 p.m. tilt in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
