Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont Bruins trounced the Northern Kentucky Norse 62-45 at the Curb Event Center Sunday afternoon.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Senior Ellie Harmeyer fueled the Bruins (3-1) with 20 points and eight rebounds, as senior Maddie Wright added eight points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Overall, eight different Belmont players notched points in the victory.
The Norse (0-4) were led by senior Molly Glick, who logged 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, as freshman Ivy Turner was the only other Northern Kentucky player with double-digit points.
After a scoreless two-minute start to the game, a layup from freshman Kiki Britzmann sparked a 13-2 run for the Bruins. The Norse would not score their next bucket until the 1:35 mark of the first quarter. Britzmann led all Bruins in first-quarter scoring with five points on 2-of-4 shooting, as Belmont held a 13-6 advantage going into the second quarter.
Glick kicked off Northern Kentucky's scoring in the second quarter with a 3-pointer just 15 second in to cut the Belmont lead to five points. However, Harmeyer answered with her own stroke from deep range, as the Bruins took a 21-14 lead at the halfway point. Belmont finished out the remainder of the first half on a 9-2 run, as Harmeyer capped off the Bruins' scoring in the quarter on a layup with 30 seconds left.
At the half, Belmont led 30-16 behind a combined 12 points and 12 rebounds from Harmeyer and Wright. The Bruins dominated the rebound column by a 27-13 margin after 20 minutes of play. The Norse connected on just six of their 27 shots to start the game, as five separate Belmont players nabbed three or more rebounds.
The Bruins opened up the second half with an unprecedented 14-0 run, as Northern Kentucky would not score in the quarter until the three-minute mark. Sophomore Conley Chinn accounted for eight points (two 3-pointers) in the third-quarter onslaught. Harmeyer went on to notch the Belmont's final five points of the quarter to gift the squad a 50-23 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
The Norse started the fourth quarter with a run of their own (12-4) to cut the Bruins lead to 54-35 through five minutes. Belmont responded by scoring five points in just over 30 seconds to fend off Northern Kentucky. The Norse outscored the Bruins 22-12 in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to mount a comeback. Freshman Cam Browning's putback finish with 45 seconds remaining solidified Belmont's 62-45 home victory.
In total, three Bruins logged double-figure points on the day, including Chinn, who has tallied 10-plus points in three of her first four games of the year. Five different Belmont players raked in five or more rebounds, including 13 boards from bench players.
The Bruins held Northern Kentucky to a 25.9 percent clip from the floor on 15-of-58 shooting for the day; a season-best for Belmont.
HISTORY MADE: The Bruins have held three opponents to 50 or fewer points through the first four games, becoming the first Belmont team to do so since 1970-71. The feat has only been accomplished two other times in program history.
GLASS CLEANERS: The Bruins registered a season-high 51 rebounds against the Norse on Sunday. The last time Belmont tallied 50-plus rebounds was Feb. 2, 2019 against UT Martin.
UP NEXT: The Bruins travel to Fayetteville, Ark. on Wednesday to take on No. 22/22 ranked Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena. The matchup will begin a five-game road swing for the Bruins.
QUOTES:
Bart Brooks, Head Coach
"We just needed to get back on the floor and compete. We have had a few days of really tough practices and they looked a little bit tired down the stretch. It was good to see them playing more of our style. We still have a lot of work to do before we are the team we need to be, but I am proud of their resiliency."
Ellie Harmeyer, Senior Forward
"I think we were just moving the ball really well as a team and we made the extra pass. We shared the ball well in the first half and in the second half too. We have been focusing on making the right pass in practice this week and that showed today."
