Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A strong second half, five double-figure scorers and a season-best 21 assists propelled Belmont University women's basketball to a dominant 87-49 road victory at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Thursday evening to begin Ohio Valley Conference action. The Bruins (5-5, 1-0 OVC) didn't need long to shake off any rust from a 15-day break from game play, scorching the nets in the second half and coming away with a season-high nine blocks.
Ten different Belmont players scored, and all 11 available Bruins saw at least five minutes on the court in the conference opening road win.
Behind 58.6 percent (17-of-29) second-half shooting, Belmont outscored the host Cougars (4-8, 0-1 OVC) 49-21 across the final 20 minutes. Limiting SIUE to just seven made field goals and 20 percent shooting in the second half, the Bruins went 11-for-14 at the free-throw line and assisted on 12 of their 17 baskets.
Belmont made 12 steals, the second-most in a game this season, and forced 20 turnovers. Turning those Cougar miscues into 25 points, the Bruins outscored SIUE 40-12 off the bench and got 18 of their 87 points on the fast break.
Winning its sixth-straight OVC opener, Belmont improved to 5-0 in league openers under the direction of head coach Bart Brooks.
Sophomore forward Madison Bartley scored eight of the Bruins' first 10 points and the first quarter proved to be tightly contested. Knotted up at 13 with two minutes to go in the inaugural quarter, Belmont got three pointers from junior guard Nikki Baird and senior forward Conley Chinn as the Bruins ended the first on an 8-3 run.
Despite leading 21-16 heading into the second quarter, Belmont found itself trailing 24-23 with 6:31 to go in the half thanks to an 8-0 SIUE spurt. However, it would be the last time the Bruins would face a deficit for the remainder of the night.
Belmont closed the first half on an impressive 15-4 run over the last six-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter, getting 11 combined points from freshmen Tessa Miller and Kilyn McGuff and another four points from leading scorer Destinee Wells. McGuff's jumper with five seconds to go in the half gave the Bruins a convincing 10-point, 38-28 lead at the break.
Although Belmont shot just 37.5 percent in the second quarter, the Bruins were 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) from the field and 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Bruins held the Cougars to 33.3 percent (9-of-27) first-half shooting despite SIUE going 3-for-5 from distance.
Nothing shy of assertive in the third quarter, Belmont outscored the Cougars 24-11 on 64.7 percent (11-of-17) shooting. Seven different Bruins scored in the quarter and Belmont limited SIUE to only three made shots. The Bruins began the second half on a 9-2 run and never looked back. Dissecting the Cougars' defense and getting plenty of clean looks in the paint, Belmont built a 23-point lead on a Miller layup with 2:11 to go in the third.
Outscoring SIUE 25-20 in the final quarter, the Bruins scored 19-straight points across a five-and-a-half-minute stretch. McGuff capped the remarkable run to put Belmont up 39 at 83-44 with 2:07 remaining. Moments later, Baird made a layup to give the Bruins their first 40-point advantage of the season at 85-45 with 90 seconds left.
All told, Belmont shot 51.7 percent from the field and went 16-for-21 (76.2 percent) at the free-throw line. The Bruins kept the Cougars to 25.8 percent shooting for the 40 minutes and SIUE went 1-for-7 from outside in the second half.
Wells finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and distributed a game-high five assists. She also had a season-high three steals, while Bartley scored 12 on 5-for-6 shooting and pulled down five rebounds. For the second consecutive outing Miller reached double figures with 11 points and grabbed a game-best eight boards. Baird matched her career high in scoring with 11 points and McGuff reached double figures for the second time in her young career with 10 points, not to mention recording a career-high five rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore guard Blair Schoenwald collected a career-high six boards and senior guard Macie Culbertson made her first appearance in over two years. Junior guard Kiki Britzmann knocked down her first triple of the season in the fourth quarter.
Up Next
Belmont will remain in Illinois for a New Year's Day matchup at Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon. Tipoff of the OVC road affair is slated for 1 p.m. from inside Lantz Arena in Charleston, Illinois. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. The Bruins will return home next week when they host Southeast Missouri at the Curb Event Center on Thursday, Jan. 6.
Belmont season tickets, which include the entire men's and women's basketball home schedule, are on sale now at BelmontBruins.com/Tickets, in addition to flex packs, single game tickets and group experiences. Fans can also call or text 615.460.BALL (2255).
To become a Bruin Club member, contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu.
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on Twitter, @belmontwbb on Instagram and Belmont Women's Basketball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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