Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Getting back to its winning ways, the Belmont University women's basketball team cruised to a 73-48 triumph over defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season champion the University of Tennessee at Martin Saturday evening inside the Curb Event Center. The Bruins (11-7, 7-2 OVC) knocked down a season-high 16 three-pointers and outscored the visiting Skyhawks (5-13, 2-5 OVC) 54-28 over the final three quarters of play.
The 16 treys are the most made threes in a single game by Belmont since Dec. 10, 2020, versus Tennessee State. The victory snapped the Bruins' two-game slide.
Eight different Belmont players found the bottom of the net from beyond the arc and all 10 available Bruins scored in the triumph.
Despite a sluggish start, Belmont used an impressive second quarter and a steady second half of sound defensive play to pick up its seventh OVC win of the season. The Bruins outworked UT Martin 41-33 on the boards and outpaced the Skyhawks 31-15 off the bench.
A trio of Belmont players scored in double figures led by freshman guard Kilyn McGuff's career-high 14 points on 4-for-7 three-point shooting.
After falling behind 8-4 early, back-to-back triples from sophomore forward Madison Bartley and senior forward Conley Chinn gave the Bruins a 10-8 lead four minutes in.
A 9-3 UT Martin run put the Skyhawks up 17-13, but Belmont responded with consecutive treys from McGuff and junior guard Nikki Baird that pushed the Bruins back in front at 19-17.
UT Martin's Shae Littleford connected on a three before the end of the opening quarter as the Skyhawks led by one at 20-19, but the second period belonged to Belmont.
The Bruins outscored UT Martin 21-6 in the second quarter behind 57.1 percent (8-of-14) shooting, going 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from outside. A Chinn layup got things going before sophomore guard Tuti Jones and senior guard Jamilyn Kinney splashed in threes to give Belmont a 29-20 lead midway through the quarter. McGuff hit a three-pointer to make it 34-20 with just under three minutes remaining in the half before sophomore guard Destinee Wells made it a 17-point game at 40-23 with under a minute to go in the period.
Taking a 14-piont, 40-26 lead into the locker room, the Bruins shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field across the first 20 minutes and went 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) from long range in the first half.
After the Skyhawks shot 61.5 percent in the first quarter, Belmont limited UT Martin to only two made field goals on 2-for-15 shooting (13.3 percent) in the second.
The Bruins were scoreless for the first three minutes of a lackluster start to the third quarter by both squads. However, a 9-0 Belmont run over 4:38 gave the Bruins a 21-point lead at 49-28. A Kinney triple right before the third quarter buzzer pushed Belmont's advantage out to 26 at 56-30. Another Kinney three put the Bruins up 28 at 59-31 with 8:22 to go, capping a 10-3 Belmont run.
McGuff and Baird once again went back-to-back on three-point makes midway through the fourth quarter to give the Bruins their largest lead of the evening at 32 (66-34) with 4:37 left.
The Skyhawks ended the game on a 14-7 run but both senior guard Macie Culbertson and McGuff drained threes in the closing minutes.
Belmont held UT Martin to only one made field goal in the third quarter and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) shooting in the second half. The Skyhawks went 2-for-11 (18.2 percent) from deep in the final 20 minutes and 10 of their 22 second-half points came at the foul line.
The Bruins shot 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from distance in the second half, finishing 16-for-34 (47.1 percent) overall from three-point land. Belmont shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) for the contest and totaled 11 free throws while keeping UT Martin to 29.4 percent (15-of-51) from the floor.
For the second-straight outing, Kinney posted double-figure scoring with 11 points on 3-for-5 outside shooting. Kinney also added five rebounds and four assists as Wells recorded 10 points, pulled down a career-high tying seven boards and distributed four assists.
The Skyhawks were led by guard Paige Pipkin's 13 points and Littleford's 10.
Up Next
The Bruins are on the road for both games next week, traveling to crosstown conference adversary Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech. Belmont takes on the Lady Tigers Thursday in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff from the Gentry Center before facing the Golden Eagles next Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Cookeville. Both OVC road affairs will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on Twitter, @belmontwbb on Instagram and Belmont Women's Basketball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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