Box Score MOREHEAD, Ky. -- An icy shooting second half helped snap a four-game win streak for the Belmont women's basketball team (8-15, 5-5 OVC) on the road Wednesday night. The Bruins were held off at Morehead State (11-12, 7-3 OVC), 66-55.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead spurred by a trio of shots behind the arc to go up 11-7 five minutes into the matchup. However, BU battled back and freshman Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) completed a three-point opportunity to move the Bruins to within one, 13-12, with just over two minutes left on the clock. The teams remained separated by just one point for the next four minutes until MSU got hot behind the arc again.
BU looked out of offensive rhythm over the same span but stayed within striking distance despite the Eagles continuing to hit from long range. Great work in the lane by sophomore Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.), Jones and senior Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) helped Belmont stay in the game down the stretch.
MSU pushed ahead on a six-point flurry but the Bruins dug in their heels and used treys by Jones and senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) to close the gap to one, 33-32, with just under three minutes remaining on the clock. Morehead State suddenly went frigid from the floor to close the half, hitting only 1-of-9. The lapse allowed Belmont to regain critical ground and push to make it a one possession game, 36-34, as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms.
Belmont came out of the break hot on both sides of the ball, collecting stops on three consecutive MSU possessions. A drive by senior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) followed by a strong putback by Thompson knotted the score at 38 with 15:59 left on the clock. Fifteen seconds later, senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) knocked down a triple from the left side of the arc to give BU its first lead since the early minutes of the game.
The back and forth battle resumed before the Eagles exploded and went on a 10-3 run to pull away, 46-41, with 13 minutes remaining in regulation. Belmont rebounded and added some life to its offense in the waning minutes, looking to Carroll, who connected on her fourth triple of the game to close the gap to six points, 57-51, with 7:46 left on the clock. However, the Bruins slipped into an icy spell that lasted more than six minutes. The silence from the hardwood opened the door for MSU to grab its first double digit and never look back.
The Eagles grabbed their largest lead of the night, 13 points, 64-51, with 1:48 in regulation. Twenty seconds later, a free throw by freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) broke the ice off the BU rim and Jones followed with a driving layup to cut the lead to 10 but it was too little too late. Tarrence hit the first of a pair at the stripe for the final points of the game as Morehead State went on to take the contest, 66-55.
Morehead State shot 35 percent from the floor, 42.1 percent from long range and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Eagles held the advantage in blocks, 7-3.
MSU saw three players reach double figures led by Almesha Jones, who netted 20 points, followed by Casey Ryans with 12 and Shay Steele with 11 points. Eriel McKee grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Belmont shot 31.3 percent from the hardwood, 30.4 percent from behind the three-point arc and 54.5 percent from the charity stripe. The teams were even in rebounds at 45, even in assists with 14 each and even in steals with three apiece.
Jones led the Bruins with 17 points while Carroll added 14 and Thompson contributed eight points. McCabe pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, one shy of matching her season best output. Tarrence notched a team-high eight assists.
Belmont continues its road trip on Saturday with a stop at Eastern Kentucky. Game time is set for 3 p.m. CT. The matchup can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and heard live on the Bruins Sports Network with Dr. Rich Tiner on the play-by-play call. Live stats and an in-game Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
