Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Playing in front of a lively crowd of over 900 local elementary school students, the Belmont University women's basketball team (5-4) picked up its third-straight victory, defeating visiting Trevecca 87-56 Friday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
After knocking down 16 three-pointers vs. Lipscomb on Tuesday, the Bruins connected on 15 against the Trojans en route to the convincing victory. Three Bruins finished in double figures, led by Kylee Smith's (Alphahretta, Ga.) 18. Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) continued her streak of efficient scoring as she netted 14 on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Thompson's counterpart in the front court , Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.), racked up 13 points and nine rebounds, scoring 11 in just the second half.
"All kinds of enthusiam and energy today from these elementary school kids. David Fish and George Plaster did a great job of getting them rowdy for us and we just appreciate them coming out and celebrating a great game today," said Belmont Head Coach Cameron Newbauer when asked about the game's energetic crowd.
Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) finished just shy of a double double as she dished out a season-high 10 assists to go with nine points.
Belmont saw 10 players score a point and seven players make a three-pointer.
Friday marked the 29th time in the Coach Newbauer era that the Bruins have hit at least 10 three's.
After Tuesday's hot shooting, the Bruins picked up right where they left off knocking down their first three-point attempt when Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) netted a corner three 12 seconds into the game. The Bruins first six points came via the three ball and they started 4-of-6 from long range. Belmont finished the first quarter an even 50% (8-of-16) from the field and made seven-straight shots at one point. Smith led the Bruins with six early points as Belmont led 20-10 after the game's first 10 minutes expired.
Trevecca closed the gap to 22-16 when it employed a 6-0 run early on in the second quarter, but that's as close as it would get. The Bruins carried a 39-25 lead heading into the half after outscoring the Trojans 19-15 in the second. Smith paced all scorers with 13 first half points, knocking down a trifecta of three's in the first 20 minutes of play. Thompson had things going as well chipping in with eight first half points on an efficient 4-of-4 from the field. After starting 4-of-6 from distance, the Bruins finished the half 7-of-19. Overall Belmont finished the half shooting 46.9% (15-of-32) from the floor.
In the third quarter, the Bruins outscored the Trojans 22-17. Trevecca trimmed the Bruin lead to just 12 at 42-30 at the 7:32 mark in the quarter, but Belmont would use a 15-6 run to help stretch its lead to 19 at the quarter's media timeout. Maggard scored six points in the frame, converting two of her three 3-pointers.
Belmont flexed its muscles in the fourth quarter, outscoring its opponent 26-14. McCabe answered the bell in the final quarter, scoring eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor while Hannah Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wis.) scored six points on a pair of three's.
"We knew we needed to step it up in the second half because we had such a size advantage. We really just kept going at that in the second half. I can't get myself the ball, I say this all the time, but I can't doing anything without the guards so it means a lot that they kept coming to me," remarked McCabe after the game.
Belmont led for 39:44 and its largest lead was 33. The Bruins outscored the Trojans 32-10 in the paint and their bench out produced Trevecca's 30-13.
The Bruins finished the game shooting 52.5% (32-of-61) from the field and 45.5% (15-of-33) from three-point land and for the second-straight game the Bruins finished with 26 assists.
After the facing the rigors of the road early on in its schedule, Belmont has enjoyed the comforts of home averaging 93.5 points per game over its mini two-game homestand.
"We haven't shot the ball great this year but the last two games we've hit 31 three's and I'm really excited and proud about that. We've been making the extra pass. We have had 26 assists in our last two games, so we've been moving the ball very well," added Newbuaer.
Paris Lawson (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) finished with nine points, making a trio of three-pointers.
Trevecca featured three in double figures, led by Megan Kliburn's 12. The Trojans knocked down 11 three-pointers of their own as the teams combined to hit 26 three-pointers.
The Bruins return to action Monday, Dec. 2 when they travel to Samford for a showdown with the Bulldogs in Birmingham.
