Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont women's basketball took down the Eastern Illinois Panthers, 63-49, Thursday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
The Bruins (5-3, 2-1 OVC) were led by the tandem of junior forward Conley Chinn and freshman guard Destinee Wells, who combined for 40 points in the victory. Chinn logged a career-best 23 points and season-high nine boards, while Wells posted 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dished out a team-high four assists.
In total, Belmont tabbed a 44 percent shooting percentage, forced 22 turnovers and grabbed 12 steals on the day. The Bruins also doubled the Panthers' points in the paint (24) and tallied 24 points from turnovers.
Eastern Illinois (6-8, 4-5 OVC) was fueled by senior forward Abby Wahl and sophomore guard Lariah Washington, who recorded 14 and 12 points respectively. Additionally, Belmont registered a 31-28 advantage in the rebound column.
A jumper from junior guard Maddie Cook and a 3-pointer from Wells was enough for the Bruins to tie the game up at 5-5 through the first three minutes. Belmont pulled away with a steal and finish from Chinn at the 4:29 mark to make it 12-7. Following a basket from the Panthers, the Bruins finished the quarter with a 5-0 run to register a 16-9 first-quarter advantage.
Kinney nailed a 3-pointer to start the second period and extend the Belmont lead, but Eastern Illinois cut the deficit to four points by the halfway point. Chinn responded for the Bruins with back-to-back treys to boost their lead to double-digits. Still, the Panthers continued to stay close, as they went into halftime facing a 31-27 deficit.
At the half, Chinn racked up 13 points and three rebounds, as Wells trailed slightly behind with nine points. Belmont hit 43 percent of its attempts from beyond-the-arc and led for over 16 minutes in the first two periods.
After two minutes of scoreless basketball, the Bruins rode an 11-point run to reclaim a 42-29 lead by the 4:23 mark. Eastern Illinois charged back again to cut down its deficit, but a fastbreak layup from Chinn with under a minute remaining kept the Belmont advantage at 11 points. The Bruins wrapped up the third quarter with a 46-35 lead.
A pair of 3-point makes from the Panthers to start the final period put them within two possessions of tying the game at the 7:47 mark. However, Belmont fended off their foes minutes later with a 3-pointer from freshman guard Tuti Jones, who improved the Bruin lead to 58-46. Cook topped off Belmont's 63-49 win with a jumper with 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
Overall, five different Bruins recorded two steals in the victory, as they held Eastern Illinois to a pair of single-point quarters. Cook posted a team-high plus-minus of plus-20 in the fourth start of her career. Jones and Kinney chipped in seven points apiece and meshed for seven rebounds and five assists. Belmont led for all but four minutes of its victory.
NEXT LEVEL DEFENSE: With 12 steals against the Panthers on Thursday, the Bruins have recorded 10-plus steals in each of the last six contests. They have also forced 20 or more turnovers in five of their eight games.
RETURNING THE FAVOR: With a victory over Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Belmont improved to an undefeated 5-0 under head coach Bart Brooks in games following losses to conference opponents.
CONLEY TAKING OVER: Junior forward Conley Chinn's career-best 23 points marked the fourth straight game where she has led or tied the team high in scoring. Chinn previously set her career high in scoring this season at Auburn on Dec. 20 (21 points).
UP NEXT: The Bruins finish out their three-game homestand against SIU Edwardsville on Saturday. Tip is set for 1 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.
