Box Score SAN MARCOS, Texas – No. 12 seed Belmont women's basketball defeated the fifth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, 64-59, in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament Monday afternoon at Strahan Arena.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
The Bruins (21-5) recorded their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and became the first Ohio Valley Conference team to win an NCAA Tournament game since 1990. Belmont head coach Bart Brooks also amassed his 100th career win with the team's historical victory.
Freshman guard Destinee Wells delivered a team-high 25 points, seven assists and three steals on the day, while the Bruins forced 20 total turnovers.
The Bulldogs (23-4) were led by senior guard Jill Townsend (17 points), who was one of two Gonzaga players in double-figure scoring.
Belmont got off to a slow start in the first quarter, but a jumper from freshman forward Madison Bartley put the Bruins within three points of the lead at the six-minute mark. The Bulldogs pulled away again to take a 10-point advantage at the 2:04 mark. Despite a driving layup from Wells with five seconds left, Belmont still trailed 22-13 after one period of play.
The Bruins had the hot hand to start the second quarter, as they rode an 11-0 run to take a 24-22 lead by the 5:57 mark. Gonzaga tied it back up, but buckets from the freshman duo of Wells and Tuti Jones put Belmont ahead five points with four minutes left. The Bruins traded buckets with the Bulldogs and held on to a 33-32 halftime lead.
At the half, Wells fueled Belmont with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while junior guard Jamilyn Kinney added eight points. The Bruins shot 46 percent from the field in the first half and forced eight Gonzaga turnovers.
A layup from junior forward Conley Chinn kept Belmont up four points through three minutes in the third period. With a fastbreak layup from Jones and two free throws from sophomore forward Cam Browning, the Bruins took a 45-39 lead into the media timeout. Five consecutive points from Wells to end the period leapt Belmont out to a 52-44 advantage through three quarters of action.
Chinn's second-chance layup at the 9:46 mark extended the Bruins' lead to 10 points, their largest advantage of the game. By the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs cut their deficit to just four points. Wells scored off a Gonzaga turnover one minute later to put Belmont back ahead, 57-52. An and-one from Bartley with 19 second remaining put the Bruins up five points and secured their 64-59 victory.
In total, Belmont shot 41 percent from the floor and dished out 14 assists, while it tallied 25 points off turnovers. The Bruins also received 26 points in the paint and 16 bench points, as five different players tabbed five-plus points.
HISTORICAL DAY: With the win, Belmont became just the fifth OVC team to win an NCAA Tournament game and the first since 1990. The Bruins also tallied their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
CENTURY MARK: Head coach Bart Brooks registered his 100th career victory on Monday, as he boasts a 100-25 (.800) record all-time. He is also ranked inside the top 10 in the nation in winning percentage for active head coaches in the NCAA Division I.
DOUBLE-DIGIT MAGIC: Belmont was one of three double-digit seeds to advance to the Round of 32, joining 13-seed Wright state and 11-seed BYU.
UP NEXT: The Bruins advance to the Round of 32 to faceoff with the No. 4 seed Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday.
