Box Score CHARLESTON, Ill. – Four players in double-figure points led Belmont women's basketball past the Eastern Illinois Panthers, 77-75, at Lantz Arena Thursday afternoon.
Freshman guard Destinee Wells fueled the Bruins with a career-best 25 points, as well as a team-high seven assists and five steals. Junior forward Conley Chinn added 18 points with five 3-pointers and six rebounds, while the freshman duo of forward Madison Bartley and guard Whitney Hay logged 12 points apiece.
In total, Belmont (9-4, 6-2 OVC) shot 48 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep range in the win, as it hit 11 3-pointers and dished out 17 assists. The Bruins also led the rebound column by a 31-23 margin, grabbed 12 steals and received 24 points from their bench.
The Panthers (8-10, 6-7 OVC) were led by three players with 10-plus points, as sophomore guard Lariah Washington recorded a team-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
Consecutive jumpers from Hay and Wells jumpstarted the Bruins to a 6-2 lead at the midway point of the first period. Eastern Illinois stormed back with a 5-0 run, but Belmont knotted the game back up at 11 by the 2:15 mark on free throws from Wells. A layup from Bartley and a pair of free throws from Hay put the Bruins up 15-13 through 10 minutes of play.
Belmont got off to a hot start in the second quarter, as it extended its lead to six within the first 40 seconds of the period. The Bruins kept the Panthers at bay with a deep range 3-pointer from Chinn to put them up 28-22 at the 6:41 mark. Still, Eastern Illinois mounted a comeback to take a 35-33 advantage with three minutes remaining. Wells responded by scoring the final five points of the quarter for Belmont to give it a 40-39 halftime advantage.
At the half, the Bruins shot a scorching 58 percent from the field and logged a 5-of-11 clip from 3-point range. Wells led all Belmont players with 19 first-half points and three steals, while Hay and Bartley combined for 15 points.
Belmont started the second half with a three from Chinn and a layup from junior guard Maddie Cook to take a 45-39 lead through one minute. Chinn nailed another 3-pointer at the 5:08 mark of the third period to keep the Bruins up by two points. Wells notched her first points of the period with a layup to put Belmont up 55-53 with 3:31 left to play in the quarter. The Bruins ended up taking a narrow 55-54 lead into the final quarter.
The Panthers took hold of the lead with back-to-back layups early in the period, as another 3-pointer from Chinn at the 5:42 mark cut the Belmont deficit to one point. The Bruins went on to regain the advantage, 68-64, with seven points in one minute. Eastern Illinois charged back to take a 72-71 lead at the two-minute mark. Junior guard Jamilyn Kinney answered the call at the 1:19 mark with a 3-pointer put Belmont on top 74-72. The Bruins iced the game from the free throw line to log the 77-75 road victory.
Overall, Belmont finished with 14 offensive boards, as Cook brought down a team-best eight rebounds on the afternoon. The Bruins tallied their third consecutive victory, their longest win streak of the season so far. Belmont also knocked down its most free throws in any game this season, with a 14-of-20 clip from the charity stripe. Thursday's tilt featured 13 lead changes and nine ties.
ONE FROM 1,000: With their 77-75 road victory against the Panthers, the Bruins are one win shy of their 1,000th victory in program history.
CHEAT CODE: Freshman guard Destinee Wells' career-high 25 points came as her third 20-point game in the first 12 games of her collegiate career. Wells has the most 20-point games for a freshman in program history since Darby Maggard in the 2015-16 season (4).
QUAD UP: Four players notched double-figure points for Belmont against Eastern Illinois, as it has received double-figure points from four players in five different games this season.
HOT FROM DOWNTOWN: The Bruins' 46 percent clip from deep range Thursday marked their fifth time this year with a 3-point percentage of 40 percent or better. They have also knocked down double-digit threes in four of their last five outings.
UP NEXT: Belmont finishes its six-game road swing at SIU Edwardsville on Saturday. Tip is slated for 4 p.m. in the Vadalabene Center, as the Bruins search for their 1,000th win in program history.
