Box Score LAS VEGAS – Belmont women's basketball uses an explosive second quarter to power past [--/RV] Gonzaga in the nightcap of the first round of the Play4Kay Showcase Thursday night at Mandalay Bay. The Bruins defeated the Bulldogs, 71-63, for their fourth consecutive victory.
Senior center Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) led the squad with a season high 21 points as four Bruins scored in double digits. McCabe added eight rebounds and a pair of blocks to her line while going 5-for-6 at the charity stripe. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn. native was joined by Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) (15 points), Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) (13 points) and Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) (12 points).
Gonzaga (1-2) was charged by Jill Barta who tallied 21 points and 22 rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 41 percent from the floor and collected 41 rebounds.
After getting out to a slow start in the first frame with a five-minute scoring drought, the Bruins picked up the tempo as time expired. They went on to score 18 unanswered points while holding the Bulldogs scoreless for more than eight minutes. In the second stanza alone the Bruins outscored the Bulldogs, 25-13. The scoring frenzy put the squad up, 36-28, at the half. McCabe put up 10 points, including netting eight of Belmont's 11 first quarter tallies.
The Bruins second quarter surge would prove to be the difference maker as the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the game. Belmont led by as many as 15 points into the early minutes of the fourth quarter, but Gonzaga would come back within striking distance. With the help of a 13-2 run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, GU found itself within six points of tying the game but that's as close as the Bruins would allow them to get. Belmont used clutch free throw shooting in the final minute of the game, going 8-for-10 at the line, to seal the deal. BU finished the night making 19 of thier 22 free throws.
UP NEXT
Belmont will take on No. 14/9 Stanford in the semifinals of the Play4Kay Showcase Friday, Nov. 24 inside the Mandalay Bay Event Center. Tipoff is slated for 10:00 pm CT.
