Box Score AUBURN, Ala. – Belmont women's basketball took down the Auburn Tigers, 78-57, at Auburn Arena Sunday afternoon to end its non-conference slate.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
The Bruins (4-2, 1-0 OVC) were fueled by junior forward Conley Chinn, who posted a career-best 21 points and team-high six boards. Three other Belmont guards landed in double-figure points, including freshman Destinee Wells (15), freshman Tuti Jones (13) and sophomore Nikki Baird (11), who matched her career high.
Junior guard Jamilyn Kinney delivered a historic game with 11 steals, the most in a single game in program history. Overall, the Bruins forced 27 Tiger turnovers and registered 21 steals, their most in a game since 2003. Belmont also shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep range on 11 3-pointers. The Bruins finished with 18 assists in the victory and led the contest for over 35 minutes.
Auburn (5-3) was led by a 20-point, 23-rebound performance from senior forward Unique Thompson. Only one other Tigers teammate recorded double-figure points, sophomore guard Honesty Scott-Grayson (18).
After being held scoreless for the first two minutes of the first quarter, Belmont got a pair of quick layups from Chinn and Wells to take a 4-2 lead at the 7:56 mark. Auburn later knotted it up, but a three ball from Chinn extended the Bruins' advantage once again. At the 4:04 mark of the period the game was tied up, but Belmont rode a 16-4 run to end the quarter. The run featured 3-pointers from Jones and freshman guard Whitney Hay, as the Bruins took a 26-14 lead into the second period.
Belmont got off to a slow start in the second quarter, but a 3-pointer from Wells jumped the Bruin advantage to 29-18 through two minutes. At the midway point of the period, a jumper from Jones gave Belmont a 13-point lead. Baird capped off a 7-0 run for the Bruins with a 3-pointer with three minutes left to put Belmont up 40-22. Chinn knocked down a deep ball on an assist from Wells in the final second of the half, as the Bruins kept a 45-28 lead going into halftime.
Through the first 20 minutes, Belmont shot a scorching 51 percent from the floor and 58 percent from beyond-the-arc. Chinn and Wells led the Bruins with a combined 27 points in the first half, as they forced 16 turnovers on 12 steals against the Tigers. In total, the Bruins hit seven 3-pointers, while Baird and Chinn hit two each.
Chinn kept the hot hand for Belmont, as she opened up its scoring with a layup two minutes into the second half to increase the lead to 16 points. After trading buckets with Auburn, Jones finished on a fastbreak out of the media timeout to give the Bruins a 55-38 advantage with under four minutes remaining. The Tigers cut the deficit as low as 13 points, but a 3-pointer from Jones helped give Belmont a 63-47 lead going into the last period.
Junior forward Allison Luly recorded a second-chance basket for the Bruins to open the fourth quarter at the 8:01 mark. By the midway point of the period, Auburn got within 13 points, but a 9-2 run for Belmont gave them a 77-57 advantage with one minute left in the game. A free throw from freshman guard Blair Schoenwald in the final second capped off a 78-57 victory for the Bruins.
Overall, Belmont finished with 31 points off turnovers, 34 points in the paint and 19 points from its bench. Luly tallied a season-high six points and five rebounds in her first start of the season, while Hay added five points and a pair of boards in 14 minutes. Eight different Bruins brought down two or more rebounds.
TWO FOR BELMONT UNDER BROOKS: Belmont's 21-point victory over the Tigers came as its second win over an SEC opponent under head coach Bart Brooks, The Bruins previously defeated Vanderbilt 111-74 in Brooks' first year at the helm.
HISTORIC DAY FOR STEALS: Junior guard Jamilyn Kinney posted the most individual steals in a game in program history (11) against Auburn, as Belmont's 21 total steals were the most since the 2003 season.
LOCKDOWN D: With 27 turnovers forced versus the Tigers, the Bruins have forced 25-plus turnovers from each of their last four opponents. Belmont averages a total of 21.7 forced turnovers per contest this year.
UP NEXT: After a short break for the holidays, the Bruins will return to action at the Curb Event Center to faceoff with OVC foe Murray State at noon on Dec. 30.
