Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont women's basketball kicked off its Thanksgiving break with an 83-46 victory over Samford Tuesday evening inside the Curb Event Center.
The Bruins (3-1) enjoyed an even scoring contribution with eight players scoring and four reaching the double-digit plateau. Senior guard Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) led the way with 18 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists. Smith has scored double figures in each of Belmont's first four games this season. The squad's victory moves them to 29-1 in the Curb over the last three years.
Hannah Nichols led the scoring for Samford (2-3) with 11 points, the only Bulldog to score more than nine. Samford shot 18-for-58 from the field with four threes. Belmont dominated the boards, outrebounding the Bulldogs, 51-21, with junior duo Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Maddie Wright (Chattanooga, Tenn.) each collecting nine.
Three Bruins had double-digit scoring performances in the first half, led by Smith's 13 points. Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) and Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) followed close behind with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The squad finished the first quarter on a 14-1 run over the final four minutes to separate themselves from the Bulldog's, 24-9.
They drained seven of their first eight shots in the second stanza, including a stretch where the Bruins hit four consecutive three-pointers. After a quiet start behind the arc, BU found its stroke in the second quarter with junior guard Maura Muensterman (Evansville, Ind.) igniting the streak. Belmont finished the half going 5-for-9 from long distance to extend its lead, 48-17, at the break. The team's 48 points in a half are the most they've tallied in the young season.
Muensterman continued to be a spark plug for the Bruins, hitting back-to-back three-pointers as Belmont sunk another four treys in the opening four and half minutes of the second half. For the second straight game the Evansville, Ind. native tallied four threes, this time going 4-for-6 from afar.
Belmont led for the entire game with its largest differential of 38 points coming in the third stanza. Eight different players logged more than 14 minutes on the hardwood in the suqad's third consecutive victory.
UP NEXT
Belmont heads to Las Vegas for the Play4Kay Showcase, Nov. 23-25 at Mandalay Bay. The Bruins will face[--/RV] Gonzaga on Thursday, Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. CT for the nightcap.
