Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With five decades of Belmont women's basketball alumnae - including members of the inaugural team - in attendance, the Bruins put on a show to hand SIUE only its second conference loss of the season Saturday afternoon. Twelve threes helped propel BU past the Cougars, 86-64, inside the Curb Event Center.
Belmont (20-3, 10-0) celebrated 50 years of women's basketball with their 11th consecutive victory to remain undefeated in conference play. The outing marked the squad's 35th straight win over a conference opponent, the second longest streak in the nation.
Senior guard Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) led the scoring efforts with 20 points, while junior guard Darby Maggard followed close behind pouring in 19. As the guards lit up the net, senior center Sally McCabe and junior forward Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wisc.) produced a pair of double-double performances. McCabe registered 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks as E. Harmeyer collected 12 points and 10 rebounds of her own.
SIUE (11-10, 8-2) enjoyed four double-digit games from Donshel Beck (15 points), Allie Troeckler (14 points), Elina Berzina (12 points) and Lauren White (12 points). For the first time this season, the Bruins won despite being out-rebounded by their opponent as the Cougars edged them on the boards, 46-39.
The Bruins came out of the gates firing away and continued to lay it on the Cougars throughout the first half. Collectively, the team drained nine treys in the first two frames, including six in the second quarter alone. Smith ignited BU's offense, accounting for the squad's first six points on a pair of three-point plays. From there Belmont jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first eight minutes. The Bruins continued to stay hot, ending the first frame with a 13-4 run that gave them a 14-point advantage, 22-8, at the break.
Back-to-back threes from Jones and Maggard to open the second quarter put BU up by 20 with only 30 seconds expired from the clock. The squad continued to stay hot, laying on triple after triple to maintain their lead. Maggard and Smith combined for 24 first half points, draining five of the Bruins nine buckets from beyond the arc as they led, 48-31, heading into halftime.
Belmont opened the second half scoring nine unanswered points to extend their lead to as many as 26. E. Harmeyer hit the teams 10th triple of the day, marking the 12th time this season that the Bruins have tallied at least 10 threes in a single game. From there McCabe took over, collecting BU's next eight points putting the squad ahead, 61-37, at the 5:27 mark. SIUE started to find its stroke, making six of their next seven field goals, but Belmont's hot start continued to prove to be too much for the Cougars to overcome. The Bruins held a 70-52 edge after three.
For the fourth consecutive stanza, Belmont posted a 6-0 run that kept them at a comfortable distance from the Cougars. After a quick start, the Bruins endured a three-minute scoring drought that slowed their production down before E. Harmeyer sunk another three-pointer that put BU past the 80-point threshold.
GAME NOTES
- Today's win marked the Bruins 11th straight victory while moving them to 20-3 on the season – their best start since the 1993-94 season.
- Belmont has won their last 35 consecutive Ohio Valley Conference games, the second longest streak in the nation behind No. 1 UConn.
- BU moves to 10-0 in conference play, sitting atop the OVC standings.
- Belmont has handed SIUE both of its two league losses this season.
- Kylee Smith's 20-point performance was her sixth of such this season.
- Ellie Harmeyer has registered a double-double in back-to-back games.
- This is the 13th game this season that at least four players have scored in double digits.
UP NEXT
The Bruins hit the road for a four-game stint, starting with Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, Feb. 1. The two squads are scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. CT tip time inside the Alumni Coliseum.
