Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A combined 46 points from the senior duo of Ellie Harmeyer and Maddie Wright lifted the Belmont Bruins over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 61-49, Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Harmeyer posted a career-high tying 30 points and added 12 rebounds for her 18th double-double of the season. Wright chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds to extend Belmont's (17-8, 12-2 OVC) home winning streak to 19 games. Sophomore Maddie Cook registered a bench-high five points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.
The Gamecocks (11-14, 7-7 OVC) were led in scoring by junior Taylor Hawks, who was the only Jacksonville State player in double-figure scoring with 12 points. Hawks added eight rebounds, while the Bruins held the Gamecocks to 24 percent shooting on the day.
A paint layup from Wright sparked an 13-2 game-opening run from Belmont in the first seven minutes of the first quarter. Jacksonville State cut the deficit down to single-digits, but a bucket from freshman Cam Browning pushed the Bruin lead to 15-5 with 1:27 remaining. The Gamecocks hit a free throw with 28 secondS left, as Belmont took a 15-6 advantage after one quarter. The Bruins have held seven opponents to 10 or less first-quarter points this season.
Harmeyer kicked off the second period with an and-one to boost the Belmont lead to 20-8 at the nine-minute mark. Jacksonville State fought back within eight points, but four consecutive points from Cook gave the Bruins a 25-13 lead at the halfway point of the quarter. Cook struck again just one minute later to extend the Belmont advantage to 16 points. Wright and Harmeyer nailed 3-pointers under the two-minute mark to give the Bruins a 36-17 lead after 20 minutes of play.
At the half, Harmeyer poured in 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, as Wright and Cook meshed for 10 points and nine boards. Belmont stymied the Gamecocks to 17 percent shooting in the first two quarters, while the Bruins dominated points in the paint by a 20-4 margin. Belmont also registered a plus-11 rebound margin in the first half.
Harmeyer and Wright logged points on consecutive possessions to open the second half and bump the Bruins' lead to 41-17. Belmont held a 20-point scoring margin for the majority of the third quarter, as a pair of free throws from junior Madison Treece gifted Belmont a 47-22 lead at the 3:52 mark. Wright scored in the paint with 33 seconds left in the period to give the Bruins a 49-28 nod entering the fourth and final quarter.
Jacksonville State jumped out to a 24-3 run over the first five minutes of the fourth period, as it carved down its deficit to 52-45. Wright hit from downtown at the 3:36 mark to regain a double-digit lead for Belmont. Harmeyer scored the final five points of the game to log the 61-49 home victory for the Bruins.
In total, Belmont outrebounded its conference foe 44-32 and snagged 10 offensive boards. Eight different Bruins logged a rebound, as sophomore Jamilyn Kinney dished out a team-best six assists. Treece, Browning and freshman Kiki Britzmann added a combined eight points from the bench, while Treece grabbed a season-high five rebounds. Overall, Belmont shot a 43.8 percent clip from the field.
FREIGHT TRAIN: Ellie Harmeyer racked up her second-career 30-point double-double Saturday, as she has notched 10 double-doubles with 20-plus points this season. Harmeyer has also logged double-figure points in all but one game this year and recorded 20 or more points in 13 outings.
LOCK 'EM UP: The Bruins forced Jacksonville State to 23.7 percent shooting from the floor, their lowest allowed field goal percentage this season. Their previous low came at home against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 17, 2019 (25.9 percent).
DISRUPTIVE DEFENSE: Belmont, who allowed just six Gamecock assists on Saturday, has held its last three opponents to single-digit assists.
OWNING THE PAINT: The Bruins tabbed 30 points in the paint against Jacksonville State, which marks their ninth time with 25-plus paint points against a conference opponent this year. They have totaled 30 points in the paint in two of their last three contests.
UP NEXT: Belmont hits the road for its final pair of true road matchups at Morehead State on Thursday and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. The contests will tip-off at 4 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. CT respectively.
