Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Senior Ellie Harmeyer's double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds fueled the second-seeded Belmont Bruins to a 76-73 overtime victory over the No. 7 seed Austin Peay Governors in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday afternoon at the Ford Center.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
The Bruins (22-8) extended their winning streak to nine games, as the senior duo of Maura Muensterman (12 points) and Maddie Wright (10 points) chipped in double-figure points. Belmont tallied 34 points in the paint and outrebounded the Governors (18-12) by a 49-33 margin in the win.
Four players recorded double-digit points for Austin Peay, as senior Arielle-Gonzalez Varner logged a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds for the Governors.
The Bruins' trio of seniors scored their first seven points of the game, as they took a 7-4 lead at the midway point of the first quarter. Just two shots were made over the next three minutes, as a layup from Harmeyer put Belmont ahead 11-10 at the 3:07 mark. A small run from the Governors put the Bruins at a 18-13 deficit with two minutes remaining. Junior Madison Treece responded with consecutive paint buckets, as Belmont went into the second period down 18-17.
Neither team made a field goal through the first two minutes of the second quarter. The sophomore tandem of Jamilyn Kinney and Allison Luly made consecutive shots to put the Bruins ahead 21-20 with seven minutes to spare. A 3-pointer from Muensterman at the 4:06 mark gave Belmont a 29-25 advantage. Freshman Kiki Britzmann and Treece rounded out the first half with back-to-back jumpers to give the Bruins a 33-32 lead at halftime.
At the half, Treece led Belmont in scoring with seven points, while the duo of Harmeyer and Muensterman meshed for 11 points and six rebounds. The Bruins shot a scorching 50 percent from the field in the first two periods, as they tabbed a 20 points in the paint through two quarters.
Consecutive buckets from sophomore Maddie Cook to start the third quarter knotted the game up at 39 apiece at the seven-minute mark. Both teams traded the lead in the following minutes, as a 3-pointer from Muensterman boosted the Belmont advantage to 45-41 at the 2:04 mark. Harmeyer notched the Bruins' final field goal of the period just 30 seconds later, as they went into the final quarter with a 49-47 lead.
Harmeyer knocked down a 3-pointer three minutes into the fourth period to jump the Belmont advantage to seven points. Austin Peay answered with a run to cut its deficit to 60-57 with 5:25 remaining in regulation. The Governors regained the lead just two minutes later and hit a 3-pointer to increase their advantage to 66-62 with 1:15 left. A layup from Harmeyer with 20 seconds remaining tied the contest up 66-66 and sent the Bruins to overtime for the second time this year.
A pair of free throws from Harmeyer 30 seconds into overtime gave Belmont a small advantage, but Austin Peay recorded a 7-0 run to take a 73-68 lead. A massive and-one from Harmeyer at the 2:02 mark tied the contest at 73, as she nailed three-straight free throws in the final 45 seconds to ice the 76-73 win.
Overall, the Bruins logged 22 bench points, as Treece led the charge from the pine with seven first-half points and three rebounds. Luly and Cook each racked up six points, while Belmont grabbed seven steals and 17 second-chance points on the afternoon.
SPECIAL SEASON: Ellie Harmeyer posted her 23rd double-double, and 13th 20-point double-double of the season Wednesday. She is now just three rebounds shy of becoming just the second player in school history with over 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
DOMINANT PAINT PRESENCE: The Bruins racked up 34 points in the paint Wednesday, which marks their third-consecutive matchup with 30 or more paint points.
HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE: With 76 points against the Governors, Belmont has scored 75-plus points in four-straight contests, its longest streak of the year.
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Bruins attempted a season-high 30 free throws on Wednesday, as they have been to the foul line 20-plus times in seven of their last eight games.
UP NEXT: Belmont will face the winner of thirded-seeded Southeast Missouri and No. 6 seed Tennessee Tech Friday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at the Ford Center in the OVC Tournament Semifinal.
