Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. – No. 2 seed Belmont women's basketball took down the sixth-seeded Murray State Racers, 67-49, Friday afternoon at the Ford Center in the OVC Tournament semifinal.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
The Bruins (19-5) outscored the Racers by a 26-12 margin in the final quarter to extend their winning streak to nine games.
Freshman guard Destinee Wells posted a team-high 14 points and seven assists, while fellow freshman guard Tuti Jones racked up 13 points and eight boards. Junior forward Conley Chinn added a near double-double of 10 points and nine rebounds.
Overall, Belmont outrebounded Murray State by a 42-39 margin, dished out 18 assists and tabbed 34 points in the paint. The Bruins also received 20 points from their bench and recorded 19 points off turnovers.
The Racers (16-11) were led by 11 points apiece from the tandem of junior guard Macey Turley and freshman forward Katelyn Young. Murray State was held to just 32 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range.
Consecutive buckets from Chinn put Belmont ahead by a 4-3 margin through three minutes of action. The Racers responded with an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to take an 11-4 advantage by the 4:45 mark. A 3-pointer from Wells and a jumper from sophomore forward Cam Browning narrowed the Bruin deficit to 18-11 through one period.
To start the second quarter, Belmont rode an 11-0 run to the three-minute mark with a trio of 3-pointers to take a 22-20 lead. Murray State answered with six straight points of its own to regain a 26-22 advantage with just under two minutes left in the period. A layup from junior forward Allison Luly and a last-second 3-pointer from freshman guard Whitney Hay put the Bruins up 27-26 at the halftime break.
At the half, Jones fueled Belmont with a team-high eight points, while Chinn logged four points and seven first-half rebounds. In total, seven different Bruins recorded points in the first two quarters, as Wells dished out five assists. There was a total of six lead changes and one tie in the first half.
Both teams traded buckets to begin the second half, as a three from Wells put Belmont in the lead 32-31 at the 6:17 mark of the third period. Six consecutive points from freshman forward Madison Bartley kept the Bruins' advantage at 38-33 with 2:37 left. Jones knocked down a 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining to put Belmont up 41-37 through three quarters of play.
A pair of 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the fourth period from junior guard Jamilyn Kinney boosted the Bruin lead to 49-39. Belmont then logged a 12-0 run to take a 58-39 advantage by the midway point of the last quarter. Despite a pair of 3-pointers from the Racers, the Bruins held on to register a 67-49 victory in the OVC Tournament semifinal.
Luly finished with a career-high 11 rebounds, while eight different Belmont players logged points on the afternoon. Kinney and Bartley both tabbed eight points each, while Hay and Browning finished with six points apiece. The Bruins shot 40 percent from the floor and knocked down nine 3-pointers on the day.
50 OR LESS: Belmont remains an undefeated 5-0 in games when it allows less than 50 points from its opposition, as each of the wins have come in OVC matchups.
FAMILIAR FOES: The Bruins will meet UT Martin in the OVC title game for the fourth time on Saturday, as they lead by a 2-1 margin in their previous championship matchups. Belmont has made appearances in the OVC Championship game in six of the last eight years.
STREAK EXTENDED: With their OVC Tournament semifinal win on Friday, the Bruins extended their winning streak to nine games. In that span, they have averaged 72.1 points per game and won by an average margin of 16 points.
UP NEXT: Belmont returns to action to face top-seeded UT Martin in the OVC Championship game on Saturday. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. at the Ford Center.
