Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Ellie Harmeyer's eighth 20-point double-double of the season led the Belmont Bruins past the Murray State Racers, 70-53, Thursday morning at the Curb Event Center.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
The Bruins (14-8, 9-2 OVC) logged their 16th-consecutive victory in the Curb, as Harmeyer poured in 21 points with 14 rebounds. She added a season-high tying four assists, two steals and a block.
Sophomore Jamilyn Kinney racked up 13 points, five assists and three rebounds. Overall, Belmont logged its second-highest field goal percentage of the year with a 50.9 percent clip.
Nine Bruins scored on the day, while they racked up a season-best 38 points in the paint and tied their season-high in bench points (21).
Three Racers (11-11, 4-7 OVC) scored in double-figures, as senior Macie Gibson fueled Murray State with a team-high 17 points.
A 3-pointer from Murray State at the seven-minute mark gave the Racers an early 8-5 lead. Kinney responded with a deep range make of her own to knot the game up at 10 points with 5:56 remaining. The Bruins still trailed by one point with 30 seconds left in the first quarter, but a last-second paint layup from Harmeyer gifted Belmont an 18-17 advantage going into the second period.
Harmeyer nailed a jumper at the 6:29 mark to cap a 10-5 run for the Bruins to start the second quarter. Sophomore Conley Chinn scored five-consecutive points to gift Belmont a 38-24 advantage with three minutes remaining in the half. Junior Madison Treece finished off the Bruins' scoring at the 2:02 mark with a jumpshot. After two minutes of scoreless basketball, Belmont took a 40-27 lead at the halftime break.
The Bruins finished the first 20 minutes with a 55.2 field goal percentage, as they drained five 3-pointers. In total, Belmont outscored the Racers 22-10 in the second quarter, while Harmeyer and Kinney meshed for 20 points in the first half.
With a pair of free throws from Harmeyer, the Bruins kept their 13-point lead with six minutes left in the third period. Murray State cut down its deficit to 10 points with a 3-pointer from Gibson. However, Kinney and Harmeyer scored on consecutive possessions to improve the Belmont lead to 51-36. The Racers logged two points from the foul line in the final seconds, but the Bruins still held a 53-41 through three quarters.
Freshman Kiki Britzmann kicked off Belmont's scoring with a post fadeaway, while fellow newcomer Cam Browning hit a jumper to give the Bruins a 14-point advantage. A layup from Harmeyer sparked a 9-4 run for Belmont, who took its largest lead of the game by a score of 68-51 with one minute left in the game. The Bruins shot over 60 percent from the floor in the final quarter to secure a 70-53 victory.
Nine different Belmont players tallied a rebound in the win, as the Bruins led by a margin of 40-32 on the boards. The Bruins also collected season-best seven blocks and dished out 14 assists as a team.
Senior Maddie Wright posted a team-high four offensive rebounds and added four points, while Chinn chipped in five points and two rebounds. Senior Maura Muensterman wrapped up the victory with six points and two rebounds. The group of Treece, Browning, Britzmann and sophomore Maddie Cook combined for Belmont's 21 points from the bench.
HOT START: Belmont's 55.2 percent shooting in the first half against the Racers is its highest first-half field goal percentage of the season, and its second-highest in any half this year.
ELLIE STILL ROLLING: Ellie Harmeyer collected her 16th double-double of the season against Murray State and logged her 11th 20-point game on the year. She has notched seven-consecutive double-doubles with 14 in her last 17 contests.
OWNING THE PAINT: The Bruins' 38 points in the paint on Thursday marked the fourth time this year where they have recorded 30-plus paint points against a conference opponent.
UP NEXT: Belmont returns to the hardwood Saturday for a matchup with the Austin Peay Governors. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.
