Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Four players with double-figure scoring helped the Belmont Bruins blow past the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, 68-48, Thursday night at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins extended their home winning streak to 14 games in the Curb.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Sophomore Conley Chinn led the charge for Belmont (9-7, 4-1 OVC) with a team-high 15 points, which also tied her career best. Chinn also raked in eight rebounds, as senior Ellie Harmeyer logged her 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bruins also saw double-digit performances from sophomore Jamilyn Kinney (14 points and three assists) and senior Maddie Wright (10 points and eight rebounds). Chinn and Kinney combined for all eight of Belmont's 3-pointers, as they each shot a 4-for-7 clip from deep range.
In total, the Bruins outscored the Colonels (7-9, 1-4 OVC) by a 39-22 margin in the second half, while they led Eastern Kentucky for nearly 37 minutes of the contest.
The junior duo of Qay Stanton and Teri Goodlett meshed for 20 points, eight rebounds and eight boards for the Colonels. No other Eastern Kentucky player tallied over 10 points on the evening.
A paint layup from Harmeyer two minutes into the game gave Belmont a 6-2 advantage out of the gates. Following over four minutes of scoreless action, Kinney hit her first 3-pointer of the night to increase the Bruin lead at the 4:33 mark. Freshman Cam Browning hit Belmont's final bucket of the period with over three minutes remaining, as the Colonels closed the gap. Still, the Bruins led 11-9, with five different players scoring their points in the first 10 minutes.
Eastern Kentucky briefly took over the lead with a 3-pointer to open the second quarter. However, Kinney returned the favor just two minutes later to regain a 16-14 advantage for Belmont. At the 5:51 mark, Kinney struck again from deep range to help the Bruins to a 22-16 lead. Chinn, Harmeyer and freshman Kiki Britzmann combined for the remainder of the Bruins' points in the period, as they took a 29-26 lead at the halftime break.
Five different Belmont players logged four or more points in the first half, while Kinney and Britzmann led the squad with a combined 15 points. The Bruins also held a strong lead on the glass by a 25-17 margin through 20 minutes.
Chinn kicked off the second half with a deep triple to boost the Belmont lead to 34-26 two minutes in. Harmeyer and Chinn scored each of the Bruins' next 10 points, while Chinn capped off the quarter with another 3-pointer at the 2:22 mark. The Colonels answered with a 3-pointer of their own one minute later, but Belmont still went up 43-33 through three quarters of play.
The Bruins gathered six points in the first four minutes of the final quarter, but things would soon heat up. A fast break finish from Wright sparked a 14-4 run for Belmont over the next four minutes, as it finished with over 60 percent shooting from the field in the period. Eastern Kentucky recovered by hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, but the Bruins still notched the 68-48 victory in the confines of the Curb Event Center.
Overall, Belmont outrebounded the Colonels by a 49-38 margin on the glass, as it scored nearly 30 points in the paint. Britzmann chipped in a valuable six points and career-high six rebounds in her fifth start as a Bruin. Meanwhile, Browning (six points) and sophomore Maddie Cook (three points) registered all of Belmont's bench points in the win.
DEEP RANGE DUO: Jamilyn Kinney and Conley Chinn each knocked down four 3-pointers against Eastern Kentucky, becoming the first Bruin duo to accomplish the feat this season. Chinn set her career best in 3-point field goals made, while Kinney tied her career high.
CLOSE TO HISTORY: Ellie Harmeyer needs just three boards to become the seventh player in program history to grab 800 career rebounds in the NCAA era.
SUFFOCATING DEFENSE: Belmont forced the Colonels to 26.6 percent shooting from the field Thursday and has held six of its last seven opponents below the 33 percent mark. The Bruins have also allowed less than 25 points in a half 11 times this season.
BIG MARGINS: Belmont has logged three 20-point victories in its first five conference matchups.
UP NEXT: The Bruins return to the hardwood Saturday for a matchup with Morehead State in the Curb Event Center at 2 p.m.
