Box Score LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Belmont Bruins fell on the road to the No. 11/12 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, 70-50, in its season opener at Memorial Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Junior guard Jamilyn Kinney's back-to-back makes from deep range cut the Wildcats' lead to eight points with under six minutes left in the game, but the Bruins (0-1) were unable to complete the comeback.
Senior forward Madison Treece fueled Belmont with a career-best 14 points and eight rebounds, while four different Bruins recorded five or more points.
Kinney logged eight points and a pair of assists, as freshman guard Destinee Wells and sophomore guard Nikki Baird combined for nine points and 10 rebounds. Baird's six boards were a career high, as the Wheaton, Ill. native saw her first start as a Bruin along with Treece and Wells.
Kentucky (2-0) was led by the trio of sophomore forward Dre'una Edwards, senior forward Keke McKinney and senior guard Chasity Patterson, who meshed for 47 of the Wildcats' points. Edwards tallied 27 points and 15 rebounds in the victory, as McKinney and Patterson chipped in 10 apiece.
In the first quarter, Treece and junior forward Conley Chinn kicked off the scoring for the Bruins, as Chinn's 3-pointer at the 7:38 mark gave Belmont an early 5-4 advantage. A transition layup from junior guard Maddie Cook expanded the Bruin lead, as they went up three points into the first media timeout. However, Kentucky pieced together 10 consecutive points over the next several minutes, as it took a 15-10 lead into the second period.
A pull-up jumper from Cook just 15 seconds into the second quarter narrowed Belmont's deficit, but the Bruins would not score again until the 6:23 mark. Treece's putback layup after a missed free throw closed the gap to just three points. A small run from the Wildcats extended their lead, but four points from the freshman duo of Wells and guard Whitney Hay cut the Kentucky advantage to 32-23 entering halftime.
At the half, Belmont held the Wildcats to 2-of-12 shooting from beyond-the-arc but surrendered 22 points in the paint. The Bruins raked in 16 paint points of their own, as they received 10 points from the bench in the first two quarters. Cook led Belmont with six points in the first half, as Treece and Chinn each registered four points each.
Both teams traded buckets to begin the third period, as Treece and junior forward Allison Luly tacked on a pair of lay-ins in the first three minutes. Kentucky increased its lead to 16 points on a 3-pointer at the 4:29 mark. However, a second-chance layup from Treece and two free throws from Wells kept the Bruins in the game, 43-31. Treece and Chinn combined for five points over the next three minutes, but the Wildcats still took a 49-36 advantage into the final quarter of play.
Kentucky held a 14-point lead at the 7:20 mark of the fourth period following a layup off a turnover. Kinney answered with a pair of 3-pointers in 40 seconds to push Belmont within eight points of the lead. The Bruins' late rally went on to fall short, as they were held without a field goal in the remaining six minutes of the contest. A quick four points from the Wildcats iced the game with just over one minute left, as they went on to win, 70-50.
In total, each of Belmont players logged 10 or more minutes on the hardwood, as Wells led all Bruins with 34 total minutes on the court. Chinn dished out a team-high three assists, while Belmont grabbed seven steals and forced 15 turnovers on the day. The Bruins matched their foe in bench points (14) and held Kentucky to just 20 percent shooting from deep (4-of-20).
UP NEXT: Belmont returns to the court this week against in-state foe Middle Tennessee at a to-be-determined day and time.
FRESH LEGS: Three of the Bruins' nine players that touched the court Sunday were freshmen, as the trio of Destinee Wells, Whitney Hay and Madison Bartley combined for 57 minutes on the hardwood. Wells, Hay and Bartley also meshed for 12 points and 10 rebounds.
CAREER DAY: Madison Treece recorded career highs in both points (14) and rebounds (8) in her first start as a Bruin on Sunday. She also set career bests in field goals made and attempted with a 5-of-13 clip on the day.
DISRUPTORS: Belmont forced 15 turnovers against the Wildcats, which gives the Bruins 15-plus forced turnovers in three of their last four contests dating back to last season.
