Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A team-high 19 points and seven assists from freshman guard Destinee Wells led Belmont women's basketball past the Morehead State Eagles, 74-49, Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
Wells was helped by junior forward Conley Chinn and freshman forward Madison Bartley, who each recorded 10 points and combined for 12 rebounds. Wells also shot an impressive 7-of-12 clip from the field and grabbed three steals.
Overall, the Bruins (12-5, 9-3 OVC) received points from every player, as they tallied 24 points from turnovers, 36 points in the paint, 22 second chance points and 28 bench points. Belmont outrebounded the Eagles by a 42-35 margin and grabbed a season-high 17 offensive rebounds.
Morehead State (6-13, 5-10 OVC) was fueled by sophomore forward Gabby Crawford, who posted a team-high 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting. No other player for the Eagles reached double-figure points.
The Bruins got off to a slow start, as Morehead State took an early 6-0 lead through two minutes of play. Wells got Belmont on the board with a pair of free throws at the seven-minute mark. Wells went on to knock down two 3-pointers, as a layup from sophomore forward Cam Browning left the Bruins down 15-12 through one period.
A three from freshman guard Blair Schoenwald and a jumper from Browning put Belmont within one point of the lead at the 7:33 mark of the second quarter. Sophomore guard Nikki Baird's 3-pointer tied the game up at 22-22 just 30 seconds later. A 3-pointer from Wells gave the Bruins a 27-24 advantage at the halfway mark of the period. Belmont finished the quarter strong, as a fastbreak layup from Wells with 18 seconds left put them up 36-27 through 20 minutes of action.
At the half, Wells led the Bruins with 13 points, while Browning added eight points and five rebounds. Belmont shot over 40 percent from the field and hit six 3-pointers in the first half, as it also led the rebound column by a 20-19 margin.
After a jumper by the Eagles, the Bruins rode a 9-0 run that was capped off by a jumper from Chinn at the 6:55 mark. Minutes later, a layup from Bartley sparked another small run for Belmont to take a 51-31 advantage. After a pair of free throws from Morehead State, Bartley knocked down free throws of her own to give the Bruins a 53-33 advantage through three quarters.
Back-to-back buckets from Chinn boosted the Belmont lead to 57-33 lead early in the final period. The Bruins received four straight fastbreak points to go up 62-42 by the last media timeout. Junior guard Maddie Cook finished a layup in the paint to keep the Eagles at bay and extend the Belmont advantage, 66-44. An and-one from Schoenwald finished out the game for the Bruins, who recorded the 74-49 home victory.
In total, Belmont grabbed 12 steals and forced 18 turnovers, as Browning finished with a near double-double of nine points and eight rebounds. Kinney added six points and a team-best five steals, while the team dished out 13 assists and shot 43 percent from the field.
BARTLEY BALLING: With 10 points and eight rebounds against Morehead State, freshman forward Madison Bartley has finished with double-figure points in five of her last six outings. Bartley's career-high tying eight rebounds also mark the second time she has grabbed eight boards in the month of February.
DEADEYES: The Bruins' 43 percent shooting extended their streak of shooting 40 percent or better to five games. Additionally, they have shot at least 40 percent 13 times this season.
STEADY SHOOTER: Freshman guard Destinee Wells has led Belmont in scoring in each of the last four games she has played in. In that span, the OVC Freshman of the Week set a new career high in points, which included a pair of games with 25-plus points.
UP NEXT: The Bruins round out their six-game homestand with contests against UT Martin on Tuesday (5 p.m.), Jacksonville State on Thursday (4 p.m.) and Tennessee Tech on Saturday (1 p.m.).
