Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 13-3 run in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter pushed the Belmont Bruins past the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, 68-52, on Senior Night in the Curb Event Center Thursday.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
With the victory, the Bruins (20-8, 15-2 OVC) extended their home winning streak to 20 games, as they finished the 2019-20 season with an undefeated 13-0 record in the Curb.
Senior Ellie Harmeyer fueled Belmont with her 21st double-double of the year with 18 points and 18 rebounds, as fellow senior Maura Muensterman added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists on the night. Sophomore Jamilyn Kinney logged a career-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep range, while sophomore Maddie Cook dished out a team-high and career-best nine assists.
The Bruins, who led for over 38 minutes of the contest, logged 30 points in the paint for the third time in the last four games and outrebounded the Golden Eagles by a 50-30 margin.
Tennessee Tech (17-11, 10-7 OVC) was led by junior Mackenzie Coleman, who registered a team-best 18 points and six rebounds on a 7-of-9 clip from the field.
Kinney nailed a pair of early 3-pointers to shoot Belmont out to a 12-3 run through the first seven minutes of the first quarter. Senior Maddie Wright chipped in four points during the run. Cook finished off the opening period with a jumper from the elbow at the one-minute mark to give the Bruins a 14-5 lead after 10 minutes played. Belmont held the Golden Eagles to 2-for-13 shooting and forced three turnovers in the first quarter.
A 3-pointer from Muensterman two minutes into the second period jumped the Bruin lead to 17-10. Tennessee Tech responded with a 9-4 run over the next six minutes to cut the Belmont advantage to two points. Muensterman struck again for the Bruins from 3-point range to give the Belmont a 24-19 lead with two minutes left. The Golden Eagles knocked down a shot from deep shortly after, as sophomore Conley Chinn hit a jumpshot with 1:30 remaining to give the Bruins a 26-21 lead at the half.
Eight different Belmont players scored after two quarters, as the duo of Kinney and Muensterman led the Bruins with six points apiece. Harmeyer notched a team-high seven rebounds through the first 20 minutes, as Belmont held Tennessee Tech to a 26.7 shooting percentage.
Just one minute into the second half, the Golden Eagles cut their deficit to one point, but consecutive buckets from Harmeyer kept the Bruins in front, 30-25. Wright's paint layup at the 7:07 mark boosted the Belmont advantage to seven points, but Tennessee Tech once again cut down the Bruin lead. The Golden Eagles stayed within two possessions of Belmont for the remainder of the third period, while the Bruins took a 42-41 advantage into the final quarter.
Tennessee Tech took its first lead of the contest at the 8:51 mark of the fourth quarter, but Kinney answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to give Belmont a 50-47 lead. The Bruins continued their run over the following minutes, as an and-one from Muensterman at the three-minute mark regained a double-digit advantage for Belmont. The Golden Eagles hit a 3-pointer to carve the Bruins lead to 62-52 with 2:03 remaining. However, a pair of clutch 3-pointers from Kinney and Muensterman in the next minute sealed Belmont's 68-52 home victory. The Bruins outscored Tennessee Tech 26-11 in the final period.
Overall, nine different Belmont players tabbed points, while junior Madison Treece raked in a bench-high four points and added two rebounds. Cook, freshman Kiki Britzmann and sophomore Allison Luly each notched two points and three boards for the Bruins. Meanwhile, Wright and Chinn combined for 10 points and six points from the starting lineup. Belmont finished with 17 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points in the win.
HOT STREAK: The Bruins extended their winning streak to seven games with a victory over Tennessee Tech, their longest streak of the season.
GOING STRONG: Belmont has now logged 20-plus wins in each of the last five seasons.
FIRE FOURTH QUARTER: The Bruins notched a season-high 26 fourth-quarter points and logged their largest fourth-quarter point differential (plus-15) of the season.
J HEATING UP: Jamilyn Kinney's career-high 15 points against Tennessee Tech marked her third-consecutive game with double-figure scoring. Kinney's double-digit scoring streak is her longest of the year.
BREAKING RECORDS: With 18 rebounds against the Golden Eagles, Ellie Harmeyer has racked up the second-most rebounds (532) in a single season in program history. Harmeyer has also made the second-most free throws (177) in a single season in Belmont women's basketball history.
UP NEXT: The Bruins round out their 2019-20 regular season with a road matchup against Tennessee State on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Gentry Center.
