Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont Bruins earned a share of the 2019-20 OVC regular season title with an 84-51 road victory over the Tennessee State Lady Tigers Saturday night at the Gentry Center.
Five Bruins recorded double-figures for the first time since Feb. 21, 2019 to secure their fourth-straight regular season championship.
OVC TOURNAMENT BRACKET | OVC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Sophomore Conley Chinn posted a team-high 16 points for Belmont (21-8, 16-2 OVC), while senior Ellie Harmeyer recorded her 22nd double-double of the year with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Sophomore Maddie Cook racked up a career-high 12 points, as the senior duo of Maura Muensterman and Maddie Wright each tabbed 11 points.
The Bruins outrebounded the Lady Tigers (4-24, 2-16 OVC) by a 50-23 margin, dished out 16 assists and shot a 21-of-28 clip from the free throw line en route to their eighth-consecutive win.
Tennessee State was fueled by the tandem of sophomore Jazmine Young and junior Jaden Wrightsell, who each tallied 10 points and four rebounds. Belmont held the Lady Tigers to a 25.4 field goal percentage and grabbed nine steals.
Chinn scored seven points early to fuel a 10-3 run for the Bruins in the first two minutes of the first period. Chinn nailed a 3-pointer at the 5:26 mark to give Belmont its first double-digit lead of the night, 15-5. A layup from Harmeyer in the paint two minutes later boosted the Bruin advantage to 20-8. Cook and junior Madison Treece each scored under the two-minute mark, as Belmont took a 25-12 lead into the second quarter.
Another 3-pointer from Chinn extended the Bruins' advantage to 32-13 with 8:16 remaining in the second period. Sophomore. Jamilyn Kinney knocked down a shot from deep range at the seven-minute mark to increase Belmont's lead to 20 points. Cook went on to record seven points in the final four minutes of the quarter, as the Bruins went into the half with a convincing 46-21 advantage.
At halftime, Chinn led Belmont with 16 first-half points, while Cook chipped in nine points and three boards. Harmeyer grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds in the first two quarters, as the Bruins shot over 53 percent from the field in the first half. Belmont held the Lady Tigers below a 20 percent clip from the floor on 6-of-31 shooting.
The two teams traded buckets to begin the second half, but a 3-pointer from Wright lifted the Bruins' advantage to 32 points at the 6:41 mark. Freshman Kiki Britzmann and Harmeyer made consecutive layups in a 30-second span to keep the Belmont lead, 61-28, at the midway point of the third quarter. No field goals were made in the final four minutes of the period, as the Bruins went into the final period up 63-31.
Wright made a layup in the paint at the 8:20 mark to give Belmont its largest lead of the evening (35 points). Tennessee State answered with a pair of 3-pointers, but Muensterman responded with a deep range make of her own at the 6:01 mark. The freshman duo of Cam Browning and Britzmann meshed for four-straight free throws, while the Bruins held a 74-40 advantage with four minutes left. A layup from Browning with nine seconds left sealed the 84-51 road victory for the Bruins.
Overall, Belmont received its second-most points from the bench this season (29), as 11 different Bruins pulled down a rebound. Kinney dished out a team-high four assists, tied her career-high with six rebounds and grabbed career-best four steals. Belmont forced 15 turnovers and shot over 47 percent from the field in the win.
CLICKING ON OFFENSE: The Bruins have tallied 80 or more points per game in two of their last three contests and averaged 79 points per game in that span.
GETTING TO THE LINE: Belmont attempted a season-high 28 free throws against Tennessee State, as they have recorded 20-plus attempts from the foul line in six of their last seven matchups.
SHARE IT: With 16 assists as a team on Saturday, the Bruins have registered 12 or more assists in each of their last seven games.
WARRIORS ON THE GLASS: Belmont snagged 50 rebounds against the Lady Tigers Saturday, which marks the first time this season that the Bruins have pulled down 50 rebounds in consecutive games. In total, Belmont averaged a rebound margin of plus-15.5 over its last four contests.
UP NEXT: The second-seeded Bruins will take on the No. 7 seed Austin Peay Governors in the opening round of the OVC Tournament Wednesday in Evansville, Ind. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at the Ford Center.
QUOTES:
Conley Chinn, Sophomore Forward
"Tonight was awesome. We have been really focusing on moving the ball on offense and hunting for a great shot rather than a good shot. I was happy I was able to knock down some shots for my team and see the ball go through the hoop. Clinching this regular season title is so rewarding. We have worked extremely hard this season and it feels so great to see that result. It gives us so much motivation to keep the ball rolling into the tournament."
