Box Score MURRAY, Ky. – Belmont women's basketball held off the Murray State Racers to log a 66-54 road victory at the CFSB Center Saturday afternoon.
The tandem of junior forward Conley Chinn and freshman guard Tuti Jones led the Bruins (7-4, 4-2 OVC) with a combined 38 points in the win. Chinn matched her career high in scoring (23 points), while Jones recorded 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and five boards.
In total, Belmont forced 22 turnovers and grabbed 15 steals against the Racers (8-9, 5-7 OVC). The Bruins also shot 47 percent from the field, tacked on 36 points in the paint and cashed in on 21 points from turnovers.
Murray State received double-figure points from three players, as freshman forward Hannah McKay led the way with a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds. Belmont held the Racers to just 36 percent shooting from the floor and a 15 percent clip from deep range.
Murray State jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game, as the Bruins got off to a stagnant start. Chinn knocked down a 3-pointer at the 4:22 mark to regain the lead for Belmont, but the Racers answered with a three of their own. Consecutive layups from junior guard Jamilyn Kinney sparked a 7-0 run for the Bruins to end the quarter with a 16-10 lead.
Belmont kept its hot hand to start the second period, as eight straight points from Jones pushed the Bruins' run to 15-0. Murray State hit a free throw to end its drought, but Chinn scored seven consecutive points to boost the Belmont advantage to 31-11 at the six-minute mark. The Racers got back on their feet to end the first half, as it traded buckets with the Bruins, who took a 34-18 lead after the first 20 minutes of play.
At the half, the duo of Chinn and Jones combined for 19 points, as Belmont forced 13 first-half turnovers and nine steals. The Bruins also hit 48 percent of its shots and led the rebound category by an 18-15 margin at halftime.
A layup from Chinn extended the Belmont advantage to 38-23 at the 7:21 mark of the third period. Following a fastbreak layup from junior guard Maddie Cook, Chinn struck again to boost the Bruin lead to 41-27 with six minutes left. Murray State cut its deficit down to 10 points with back-to-back layups, but Belmont jumped back out to a 46-31 at the 4:22 mark. The Racers went on a run to end the quarter, but the Bruins still took a 47-41 lead into the final period.
In the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, Murray State mounted a comeback to whittle down the Belmont advantage to just four points. The Bruins answered with an 8-0 run, capped off by a layup from Chinn at the 6:36 mark to give them a 57-45 lead. The Racers went on to cut Belmont's lead to single-digits four times in the final four minutes, but the Bruins held on for the 66-54 road win.
Cook and freshman guard Destinee Wells contributed seven points apiece, while Wells added a season-best six steals. Kinney also chipped in six points and five steals, while junior forward Allison Luly led the team with nine rebounds in 20 minutes on the court. Luly, sophomore guard Nikki Baird and freshman guard Blair Schoenwald combined for eight points to round out Belmont's scoring. The Bruins led for all but seven minutes of Saturday's contest.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: With 22 forced turnovers versus Murray State, Belmont has forced 20-plus turnovers against eight different opponents this year. The Bruins have also recorded 15 steals in two of their last three outings and rank inside the top 10 nationally in steals per game average (12.2).
CHINN AGAIN: Junior forward Conley Chinn's career-high tying 23 points on Saturday marked her third 20-point game this season. Chinn has tallied seven consecutive contests with double-figure points and has led Belmont in scoring in five games this year.
FIRST HALF FRENZY: The Bruins held the Racers to just 18 first-half points, their least amount of points allowed in the first half this season. It also ranks as Belmont's second-least amount of points allowed in any half this year.
UP NEXT: The Bruins stay in Music City to take on Tennessee State on Monday at 5 p.m. in the Gentry Center Complex.
