Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Ellie Harmeyer's seventh double-double of the season propelled the Belmont Bruins past the SIU Edwardsville Cougars, 69-48, Thursday night at the Curb Event Center. Harmeyer logged 22 points and 13 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor.
Belmont remains unbeaten at home in the 2019-20 season and extended its winning streak to 12 games in the Curb dating back to last season.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Sophomore Jamilyn Kinney added a season-high 13 points, four rebounds and four assists on the evening. Overall, the Bruins (6-6, 1-0 OVC) recorded 36 points in the paint and held a 45-34 advantage in the rebound column.
The Cougars (2-10, 0-1 OVC) were led by the junior duo of Allie Troeckler and Christen King, who combined for 31 points and 10 rebounds to open conference play.
SIU Edwardsville began the first quarter on a 7-4 run despite a pair of layups from Harmeyer and sophomore Conley Chinn. Kinney knotted the game back up for Belmont with a deep range 3-pointer at the midway point of the period. Freshman Kiki Britzmann capped off the first 10 minutes with a layup to give the Bruins an 11-9 advantage going into the second quarter.
Junior transfer Madison Treece's first points of her Belmont career came at the free throw, as she sparked an 8-3 run that lasted nearly four minutes. A layup from Harmeyer gave the Bruins a 25-15 lead with 2:25 remaining in the second quarter. Chinn knocked down a contested 3-pointer to end the half on a 6-0 run and keep Belmont up 31-19 at halftime.
Harmeyer posted 11 points and eight rebounds through 20 minutes for the Bruins, as Chinn and Kinney combined for 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers. Belmont held the Cougars to under 20 percent shooting (6-for-31) from the floor in the first half.
Another 3-pointer from Kinney boosted the Bruins' advantage to 38-23 at the six-minute mark of the third quarter. Belmont held SIU Edwardsville to just four points in the first four minutes of the second half. A pair of makes from beyond-the-arc from senior Maura Muensterman gifted the Bruins an 18-point lead. However, a small run from the Cougars cut their deficit to 44-32 with under two minutes left in the third quarter. Harmeyer answered with a last-second 3-pointer to close out the period and give Belmont a 47-34 lead with one quarter remaining.
Kinney's final 3-pointer of the night at the 5:50 mark secured a 58-38 advantage for the Bruins. SIU Edwardsville cut down the lead below the 20-point margin with two minutes left in the game, but it was not enough to make a dent in the box score. Freshman Cam Browning and Treece rounded out the game with a couple of layups to solidify Belmont's 69-48 home victory.
In total, the Bruins racked up 16 offensive rebounds and 28 second chance points, as the bench chipped in 15 points. Belmont hit 56 percent of its shots in the final quarter and led for 33 minutes in the win.
ON A ROLL: Ellie Harmeyer has registered a double-double in four of her last five outings and notched her sixth 20-point game of the season for the Bruins.
LOCK IT DOWN: Belmont held SIU Edwardsville to a 29.3 percent clip on 26-of-61 shooting from the field Thursday night. The Bruins have held six opponents below a 35 percent shooting percentage this season.
KICKING IT OFF RIGHT: Belmont has won each of its last four conference-opening games dating back to 2016-17, as three of the victories have come under head coach Bart Brooks.
UP NEXT: The Bruins stay at home to take on Eastern Illinois at the Curb Event Center Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
