Box Score COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The senior duo of Ellie Harmeyer and Maura Muensterman meshed for 39 points to propel the Belmont Bruins past the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, 59-47, Thursday night at the Eblen Hooper Center.
The Bruins (13-7, 8-1 OVC), who are now tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings, led for all but 40 seconds en route to their fifth straight victory.
Harmeyer posted her third consecutive 20-point double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Muensterman recorded a season-high 17 points with five 3-pointers. Sophomore Jamilyn Kinney chipped in seven points, four rebounds and dished out a team-best five assists.
Tennessee Tech (15-5, 8-1 OVC) was fueled by the junior tandem of Jordan Brock and Kesha Brady, who were the only Golden Eagles to register double-figure points.
A Muensterman 3-pointer 30 seconds into the game sparked a 9-2 Belmont run to kick off the first quarter. Muensterman drained another deep ball to gift the Bruins a 14-6 lead with less than a minute remaining. Kinney finished the period with a driving layup under the basket with three seconds left. Belmont took a 16-9 advantage through the first 10 minutes of play in Cookeville.
It took three minutes for either team to log points in the second quarter, as Kinney broke the silence for Belmont with a jumper from the elbow at the 6:27 mark. The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to one possession, but another trey from Muensterman extended the Bruin lead to 23-15 with four minutes left. Harmeyer closed out the first half with a deep 3-pointer to give Belmont a 28-18 advantage.
The Bruins held Tennessee Tech to 6-of-23 shooting from the field in the first half, while Muensterman racked up a team-high 11 points and three 3-pointers. Belmont recorded 11 points off turnovers through 20 minutes.
Muensterman opened up the second half with her fourth 3-pointer of the contest nine seconds in. A second-chance layup from senior Maddie Wright boosted the Bruins' lead to 13 with 7:23 remaining in the third period. The Golden Eagles attempted to close the gap at four-minute mark, but Harmeyer scored five consecutive points to keep a 40-31 advantage for Belmont. A pair of free throws from freshman Kiki Britzmann capped off the third quarter, as the Bruins led 41-34 going into the final quarter.
Belmont took a double-digit advantage after a 3-pointer from Kinney at the 7:34 mark of the fourth period. With four minutes remaining, Tennessee Tech cut down the Bruin lead to six points. Belmont responded with a dominant 11-0 run in the final minutes, as sophomore Conley Chinn nailed two free throws with 57 seconds left in regulation to close out the 59-47 victory.
Overall, Belmont knocked down eight 3-pointers on the evening, while Wright finished with six points and nine rebounds. The Bruins outrebounded the Golden Eagles by a 44-30 margin and grabbed 14 offensive boards in the win.
LUCKY NUMBER 13: Belmont's win marks its 13th victory over the Golden Eagles in their last 14 meetings
FIRST-HALF FRENZY: The Bruins only allowed 18 first half points to Tennessee Tech, which marks the second time in conference play where they have forced a conference opponent to 20 or fewer first-half points.
LOCK 'EM UP: Belmont forced the Golden Eagles to shoot 31 percent from the floor and have held 11 straight opponents below 33 percent shooting. The Bruins have allowed 25 or less points in a half 14 times this season.
UP NEXT: Belmont stays on the road for a Saturday bout with Jacksonville State. Tip-off is set for 1:45 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
QUOTES:
Maura Muensterman, Senior Guard
"I think that overall we have been moving the ball better on the offensive end as a team and tonight that resulted in open looks for me and really just us in general. I credit my teammates for all of that, we are just flowing better offensively and that makes hitting shots easier. What really clicked I think was our focus defensively. Tech is always a competitive game and we knew we had to bring it on both ends. I am really proud of our toughness to sit down and get stops especially down the stretch. We have grown a ton over the course of the season. We are doing a much better job of handling adversity and not backing down in those moments."
