Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont women's basketball edged past the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 54-53, Thursday afternoon at the Curb Event Center. The Gamecocks' last-second shot attempt fell off target, as the Bruins logged their third-straight victory.
OVC Freshman of the Week Destinee Wells led Belmont (13-5, 10-3 OVC) with a team-high 15 points on a 7-of-8 clip from the free throw line. Junior guard Jamilyn Kinney added eight points and three rebounds, while freshman guard Tuti Jones and junior forward Conley Chinn each chipped in seven points and three steals.
In total, the Bruins forced 18 turnovers, grabbed 12 steals, dished out 13 assists and shot a 9-of-10 clip from the charity stripe on the afternoon.
Jacksonville State (12-7, 9-6 OVC) was fueled by junior guard Yamia Johnson and senior guard Taylor Hawks, who meshed for 26 points.
Consecutive 3-pointers opened up the first quarter for Belmont, who took an early 6-3 lead by the 8:33 mark. Chinn connected on another three to knot the game up at 9-9 at the six-minute mark. Jones caught fire with a quick five points to extend the Bruin advantage to three points at the 3:43 mark. Belmont closed out the period with a 6-0 run to take a 20-14 lead into the second quarter.
Wells opened the team's scoring in the second period with a 3-pointer at the 7:47 mark to put the Bruins up 23-16. Following a layup from freshman forward Madison Bartley, Wells knocked down a pair of free throws to keep Belmont ahead 27-20 at the media timeout. After a small run by the Gamecocks, Wells tallied another pair of free throws to keep the Bruins up 31-28 going into halftime.
At the half, Wells led Belmont with 12 points and two assists, while Jones and Chinn combined for 12 points. The Bruins shot 43 percent from the field, hit five 3-pointers and forced 10 first-half turnovers against Jacksonville State.
Bartley logged Belmont's first four points of the second half, as the Bruins took a 37-32 lead after a layup from Chinn at the 6:17 mark. The Gamecocks tied the game up at 37 apiece with five unanswered points going into the media timeout. Jacksonville State took a three point lead out of the break, but a layup from freshman forward Cam Browning and a jumper from junior guard Maddie Cook put Belmont back on top 41-40. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Nikki Baird with 50 seconds left gave the Bruins a 46-42 advantage after three periods.
Belmont got off to a slow start in the final quarter, as an 8-0 run for the Gamecocks put them in control 50-46 at the midway mark. Kinney broke the silence for the Bruins with a tough layup to cut their deficit to 50-48 with just over four minutes remaining. Belmont then struck up a run that was capped off by a deep 3-pointer from Kinney to take a 54-50 lead in the final minutes. Jacksonville State hit a three of its own seconds later, as its last-second shot attempt to end the game fell short.
Overall, eight different Bruins tallied three points or more, while six separate players raked in a steal. Belmont also posted 22 points in the paint, while Bartley registered seven points along with two rebounds and two assists. The trio of Cook, Baird and Browning combined for a total of 11 bench points for the Bruins.
WELLS ON FIRE: OVC Freshman of the Week Destinee Wells has led Belmont in scoring in each of her last five appearances. Wells has also logged double-figure points in five consecutive games and all but three contests all season.
CONTINUING THE TREND: The Bruins racked up 12 steals against the Gamecocks on Thursday, which marked their seventh time in the last eight games with double-digit steals. Belmont has only recorded single-digit steals four times this year.
BALL MOVEMENT: With 13 assists versus Jacksonville State, the Bruins have dished out 10 or more assists in seven consecutive outings.
UP NEXT: The Bruins take on Tennessee Tech Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day, as they will honor Grace Smith and Madison Treece in their final home game of the year.
