Box Score
FAIRBORN, Ohio – After being out-rebounded at home a year ago in a rare loss to Wright State, the Belmont women's basketball team returned the favor Thursday night on the road at the Nutter Center.
And then some.
The Bruins dominated the boards, grabbing twice as many rebounds as the Raiders to cruise to a 79-63 victory. Belmont (2-1) never trailed in the game and out-rebounded Wright State (1-2) by a whopping 44-22 margin.
"It really just started with our position on defense," said Belmont senior guard Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.). "We like to make teams take those tough twos – no layups, no threes is our philosophy. Make them take tough shots and then pursue the ball, crash the glass."
Roy and junior teammate Maddie Wright (Chattanooga, Tenn.) each had eight rebounds while junior Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wis.) grabbed seven.
On the other end, senior Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) led all players with a season-high 24 points. That gives her 1,525 for her career and moves her past former teammate Kylee Smith and into second place on Belmont's career scoring list in the Division I era. She ranks seventh in the school's all-time record book and just 15 points behind another former teammate, Sally McCabe, for Belmont's D-I career record.
She was far from the only Bruin putting up big numbers Thursday as four shooters reached double figures for a second straight game. Senior Maura Muensterman (Evansville, Ind.) notched 18, Harmeyer scored 15 and Roy added 11.
Just as important, Belmont matched a season best with 17 assists, six from Roy alone.
"That's huge. We're a big assist team and I think when we move the ball, the way our offense flows, we really get dialed in," Muensterman said. "When we're running smoothly, our offense is really, really dangerous."
Belmont shot 48 percent for the game with a 58 percent clip during their 28-point first quarter. It's the second straight game the Bruins have come out hot after a 20-2 start vs. Tulsa during Monday's 78-53 win at the Curb Event Center.
Wright State answered with a strong second quarter, but the Bruins never wavered.
"Getting that good start carried us through. They're going to throw a punch and we knew that, just a matter of time, but having that good start and pushing through was definitely a key to success for us," Roy said.
Up Next
Belmont next visits Middle Tennessee State on Monday, a 6:30 p.m. tip-off in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in their second of three straight road games leading into the Thanksgiving holiday.
