Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Belmont University women's basketball team (10-7, 2-2) defeated Murray State (6-8, 2-2) 87-61, Thursday evening at the Curb Event Center.
Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) led a group five double digit points scorers with 23 and added six rebounds and five assists. Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) finished with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. The freshman guard also dished out a team-high six assists. Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) added 12, Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) 10 and Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) 10, to round out Belmont's double digit scorers. McCabe also grabbed nine boards.
Belmont's home record remains unblemished as it now stands 7-0 at the Curb Event Center.
"I thought that we came out really strong on defense and that's what gave us energy on offense tonight. Coming out on a 17-0 run, we definitely played great defense against their top two scorers," added Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.)
Joubran finished with seven points and four rebounds off the BU bench.
Belmont held Murray State's KeShunan James, who came into the contest leading the OVC in scoring at 21.1 points per game, to just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field.
At the half, Belmont held a 53-30 edge over Murray State. The Bruins shot 62% from the field and assisted on 15 of their 21 field goals. BU finished 6-of-11 from beyond the arc for the half. Smith was sensational as she tallied 16 points, 5 rebounds and four assists. Maggard joined Smith in double figures with 12 points of her own on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
Belmont came out as the aggressor Thursday evening, as it scored the game's first 17 points. Murray did not score until the 4:56 mark in the first quarter. The Bruins, for the second straight game, came out on fire. Belmont's 30 point first quarter effort against EIU on Saturday was followed up by a 28 point effort against the Racers. The Bruins shot 65% in the first and were paced by Smith who didn't waste much time finding double digits, as she finished with 10 in the first 10 minutes of action.
"I was just really proud of our team. We shared the ball really well and overall our energy was really high through out the whole game," added Maggard.
Belmont is averaging 84.8 points per game at home. The Bruins are averaging 49.8 points in first halves during their last four home games.
BU is now 6-0 in games when it shoots 50% or better from the field.
Belmont is now 10-2 all time against the Racers.
The Bruins face a quick turnaround, as they return to action Saturday, Jan. 16, when they host Austin Peay. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. CT at the Curb Event Center as the Bruins continue their three-game homestand.
