Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Belmont University women's basketball team (16-7, 8-2) won its eighth-straight game as it knocked off the visiting Eastern Kentucky Colonels, 72-61 Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) paced the Bruins with 19 points and eight rebounds while Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) finished with 17 points, all in the second half. Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) scored in double figures with a 11 point, 13 rebound performance.
After facing a 28-29 deficit at the half, Belmont came out with a renewed sense of urgency in the second half and utilized a 13-0 run to open the third quarter. The Bruins held EKU scoreless for the first five minutes of the frame and outscored their opponent 21-11 in this quarter as a whole. Maggard's play was a large component to BU's success in this quarter as she scored nine points on three 3 pointers.
Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.), who finished with nine points and eight rebounds, spoke of the importance of Belmont's half time adjustments saying, "We got to the lockerroom and talked about how their pressure was really affecting us. We felt that it shouldn't be. We talked about running in transition and really focusing on playing our game."
With the lead in hand, Belmont would not relinquish it and managed to ramp of its offense to dispatch visiting EKU. The Bruins scored 44 points in the second half after just 28 in the first 20 minutes of action.
After Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) knocked down a three pointer as time expired, the Bruins and Colonels were knotted at 18 apiece after the game's first quarter. Smith, picking off right where she left off a game ago, poured in eight first quarter points.
At the game's intermission, Belmont faced a 29-28 deficit. The Bruins and Colonels both struggled to find a rhythm offensively as each team shot less than 40 percent from the field. Smith finished with 15 first half points.
McCabe notched her third double double of the season and praised her teammates after the win saying, "I was getting really good passes inside. My teammates kept going to me and that means a lot to me as a post player. Things connected tonight."
Belmont improves to 11-0 in home games this season.
The Bruins conclude their three-game homestand, Wednesday, Feb. 10, when they host Jacksonville State for a 5:30 tilt at the Curb Event Center.
