Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Belmont University women's basketball team (7-5) defeated the IUPUI Jaguars (8-3), 78-72 in overtime Sunday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
Four Bruins tallied double figures, led by Sally McCabe's (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) 17. After she was held scoreless for most of the contest, Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) came up clutch for the Bruins, scoring the game's final four points.
After IUPUI outscored the Bruins 22-18 in the fourth quarter to force overtime, Belmont outscored the Jaguars 10-4 in the five minute overtime period to walk away with its fifth victory in its last six games.
Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) scored 15, Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) scored 14 and Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) added 10 to round the Bruins to finish in double digits.
Belmont shot 44% (27-of-61) from the floor and outrebounded the Jaguars 45-25. Eight different Bruins scored a point and McCabe and Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) each finished with nine boards.
"This is a big win, that was a really great team we just played. To be able to win in overtime means that we can keep pushing and keep focused for extended minutes. That was a tough game, we just kept playing through it and it was good for our team to get a win like that," remarked McCabe after the game.
The game featured seven ties and four lead changes as neither team led by more than eight. Although the game was tight throughout, Belmont held the upper hand for over 40 minutes while IUPUI led for just over a minute. IUPUI also featured a quartet of double-figure scorers paced by 17 from Danielle Lawrence.
"Definitely a grind out there. We knew that they were good and we knew they were capable of fighting until the end, we just had to push forward," said the senior Thompson. "If someone's not having a good game, we know someone else can pick it up at the end of the game. Everyone has full confidence in each player on the team and we have confidence in our players that they can do anything."
The Bruins led 18-14 after the first quarter expired, connecting on 9-of-18 from the floor in the first stanza. All 18 of Belmont's points came in the paint as the Bruins emphasized the post from the onset. Roy and McCabe each scored six first quarter points and the sophomore Roy eclipsed her season average in points just half way through the first stanza.
After averaging just over eight points a game through the Bruins' first seven games, McCabe is averaging 14.6 points per game over the past five and praised the work of her guards saying, "My guards just really have a lot of faith in me. That just kind of keeps me going, knowing that they want to keep going inside to me even though I had a good defender on me. I always have to give it back to the guards because it's hard not to be confident in yourself when you know that the guards are going to keep looking for you."
IUPUI and Belmont played to an 11-11 score in the second quarter as the Bruins held a narrow 29-25 lead at the intermission. Roy led all scorers at the break with nine points, scoring her most points since the season opener at Fort Wayne. The Bruins made just one three in the first half, but Belmont excelled from close range scoring over 60% of its first half output in the paint.
After playing even in the second period, the teams would play to a 22-22 stalemate in third. After just two points in the first half, Smith served as the main offensive catalyst in the third, scoring 10 in just 10 minutes. The teams jockeyed back and forth and IUPUI grabbed its first lead since the 7:21 mark in the first quarter when it jumped ahead 36-35 with 5:30 remaining in the stanza. Belmont answered right back with a three off the hands of the redshirt-junior Smith to grab the lead with 4:46 remaining. Belmont would not relinquish its lead from this point forward in the quarter and took a 50-46 lead heading into the final act. Thompson also had the hot hand in the frame, scoring six points. In what was an intense game throughout, the teams combined for 14 fouls in the third quarter and emotions ran high.
The intensity boiled over into the fourth quarter as IUPUI Head Coach Austin Parkinson was issued a technical just 40 seconds into the frame. In a stretch that originated late in the third and stretched into the fourth, Belmont employed a 6-0 scoring run capped off by the ensuing technical free throws made by Maggard. The Bruins led 54-46 with 9:19 to play, which equaled their largest advantage of the game. After the technical, the Jaguars would counter with an 8-0 surge of their own to knot things at 54-54 with just under eight minutes to go. A jumper by McCabe put the Bruins back ahead 56-54, and the Bruins would hold the lead until the 30 second mark when IUPUI evened the score at 68-68.
Belmont led 68-61 with 3:03 remaining, but six-straight points over the final two minutes from senior guard Kelsi Byrd brought IUPUI within one at 68-67. After a turnover from Maggard, IUPUI gained possession and Lawrence drew a foul driving to the lane on the following possession with 30 seconds left on the clock. The junior made her first but missed her second and the Bruins earned a chance to try to win things with the score tied and with the shotclock out of the picture. After running the clock down, the Bruins nearly lost possession in front of their bench but managed to call a timeout with 3.8 seconds remaining. Coach Newbauer drew up a sideline out of bounds play for Smith who got a clean look on the left wing but just missed it as the clock struck zero.
In the overtime session, Belmont held the Jaguars to just four points. The score stood at 70-70 at the 3:53 mark, but Belmont would concede just two more points the rest of the way to hold on for the win. In addition to the clutch play by Jones down the stretch, Maggard, Thompson and McCabe all converted on pivotal jump shots in the quarter to help propel Belmont to the victory. Leading just 74-72, the junior Jones went baseline and converted on a crucial reverse lay in to put the Bruins up four. She then knocked down both free throws with under a second remaining to help ice the win.
Belmont improved to 1-0 in contests decided in overtime and picked up its first win in four meetings against IUPUI.
The Bruins have won 16 of their past 17 home games, dating back to last season. Belmont connected on just four three's (4-of-17) which tied a season low.
"We're sharing the ball really well, and had been shooting the ball really well. We're just figuring out our groove and how to play our game," added Thompson.
BU wraps up its non-conference season on Thursday, Dec. 22 when it travels to Presbyterian College.
