Box Score RICHMOND, Ky. – Four players in double-figure points for the second straight game helped Belmont women's basketball to a 79-55 road victory over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Thursday afternoon at McBrayer Arena.
Freshman guard Destinee Wells posted a team-high 25 points and six assists, while sophomore forward Cam Browning tallied a career-best 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The junior duo of guard Jamilyn Kinney and forward Conley Chinn chipped in 14 and 10 points respectively. Chinn and freshman guard Tuti Jones led the team with eight boards apiece.
In total, the Bruins (16-5, 13-3 OVC) outrebounded the Colonels by a 43-33 margin, made nine 3-pointers and forced 21 turnovers en route to their sixth straight win.
Eastern Kentucky (8-15, 7-12 OVC) was fueled by senior guard/forward Bria Bass, who finished with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Belmont went down 5-3 early, but a three from Wells put the Bruins ahead by one point at the seven-minute mark. After the two teams traded buckets, Wells tied the game up at 10-10 by the midway point of the period on a layup. Freshman guard Whitney Hay and Kinney nailed threes in the next two minutes, but Belmont still trailed by five points. A pair of free throws from junior forward Allison Luly narrowed the Bruins deficit to 23-18 through one quarter.
A 3-pointer from the Colonels at the 6:27 mark extended their lead to double-digits, but another layup from Wells cut Belmont's deficit to 33-27 near the halfway mark. Following nearly two minutes of scoreless action, Kinney sparked a run for the Bruins with five quick points around the 3:30 mark. Belmont finished out the period with a 13-2 run to take a 40-37 halftime lead.
At the half, Wells and Kinney combined for 25 of the Bruins' points, as the team shot just over 40 percent with six made 3-pointers.
Belmont quickly jumped on Eastern Kentucky to start to the second half, as a 3-pointer from Wells boosted its lead to double-figures. The Colonels cut it back within nine points by the four-minute mark, but a tip-in from Browning kept the Bruins up 54-43 with three minutes left. Browning finished with Belmont's final eight points of the period to keep them ahead by a 60-47 margin through three quarters.
Browning's jumper at the 6:18 mark boosted the Bruin advantage to 67-53 by the 6:19 point of the fourth quarter. After a bucket from Eastern Kentucky before the final media timeout, Belmont rode an impressive 12-0 run to finish the period, capped off by a layup from Browning with under 30 seconds left. The Bruins went on to capture their sixth consecutive win, 79-55, in Richmond, Ky.
Overall, Belmont logged a 12-of-13 clip from the free throw line, dished out 13 assists and grabbed 12 steals. The Bruins shot 42 percent from the field and dominated the Colonels in paint points by a 38-12 margin. They also logged 29 points off turnovers and received 26 points from their bench.
ON A ROLL: With its win on Thursday, Belmont logged its sixth straight win, its longest win streak of the season and the longest active streak in the OVC.
SECOND SEED: The Bruins are locked in as a No. 2 seed for the 2021 OVC Tournament, which begins next Wednesday, March 3 in Evansville, Ind. The conference tournament will once again take place at the Ford Center, as the OVC will follow its traditional bracket format.
SHOWING OUT: Freshman guard Destinee Wells' 25 points on Thursday marked her third game with 25-plus points this season. She has also reached that mark twice in her last three appearances.
UP NEXT: Belmont finishes out its season with a road trip to faceoff with Morehead State on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.
