Bruins Pick Up 78-68 Win Over Saint Louis at Gulf Coast Showcase Saturday

ESTERO, Fla. – Overcoming a lackluster start, the Belmont University women's basketball team scored its first MTE (multi-team event) victory since November of 2017 with a 78-68 win over Saint Louis University in the 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase. The Bruins (2-4) got career days from sophomores Kilyn McGuff and Tessa Miller, in addition to a season-high 26 points from junior guard Destinee Wells, and used a lengthy first-half scoring run to overcome the slow start inside Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.
 
After going scoreless for the first 4:40 of the game as the Billikens (1-7) raced out to a 15-0 start, Belmont outscored Saint Louis 40-11 over the last 15:19 of first-half play. The Bruins put together an impressive 14-2 run to claw back into the contest and built a 14-point lead by halftime.

Guard McGuff scored a career-high 20 points off the bench, including 13 in the first half, and finished 3-for-4 from outside. Meanwhile, forward Miller put together one of the best performances on the glass in recent Belmont history with a career-best 16 boards off the bench.
 
A McGuff three got the Bruins within three at 17-14 with just under two minutes to go in the first quarter, before Belmont evened up the score at 23 on a deep Wells jumper three-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter.
 
The Billikens shot 60 percent in the opening quarter, going 9-for-15 from the field, but the Bruins took their first lead of the afternoon four minutes into the second quarter following a 9-1 run. Junior guard Tuti Jones' layup gave Belmont a 25-23 lead and 10 consecutive points put the Bruins up 10 at 35-25 with just over two minutes to go in the first half.

A second triple from Wells in the quarter and a Miller layup gave Belmont a 40-26 lead at the break. The Bruins were dominant in the second quarter, outscoring Saint Louis 24-4 while shooting 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor and going 3-for-5 from distance. Holding the Billikens to only one field goal and two free throws for the quarter, Belmont scored half its points in the paint.

Limiting Saint Louis to 34.5 percent (10-of-29) first-half shooting, the Bruins shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) in the first half and went 5-for-12 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

The second half wasn't quite as smooth and the Billikens outscored Belmont 42-38 across the final 20 minutes of action. However, the Bruins led by as much as 24 in the third quarter.

Neither team scored for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half before Belmont went on a 13-2 run capped by junior guard Blair Schoenwald's first three of the season. Her trey giving the Bruins a 53-30 lead, Belmont extended it to 56-32 on a Wells three-pointer with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Saint Louis closed the third quarter on a 15-2 run, drawing within 11 at 58-47 heading into the final quarter. Billiken starting guard Kyla McMakin scored 12 of her team-high 24 points in the quarter, including eight consecutive in the closing minute.

Despite shooting 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from the field in the third, Saint Louis went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line.
 
The Bruins weren't able to extend their lead past 14 in the fourth quarter as the Billikens used a 7-0 run late to pull within seven at 70-63 with 3:17 to go. Wells scored six of Belmont's final eight points, hitting a key layup with 2:25 left to keep the Bruins in front by nine.
 
Saint Louis got within six twice on Kennedy Calhoun free throws and a McMakin jumper with 1:01 left. However, clutch free throws from Wells, Jones and graduate guard Sydni Harvey clinched the triumph.

Neither team shot well in the fourth quarter and Belmont went 10-for-16 (62.5 percent) at the foul line in the final 10 minutes.
 
All told, the Bruins shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the floor and 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from long range. Belmont finished the game 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) at the charity stripe and got 31 points off its bench.

The Billikens were 33.3 percent (21-of-63) from field but only 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) from outside. Saint Louis sunk 22 of its 26 free throws (84.6 percent) and scored 31 points off 19 Bruin turnovers.

?? | HC @BartABrooks following the Bruins' 78-68 win over Saint Louis in the @GCShowcase ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/y81ed4N4LT

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 26, 2022

Wells' 26 points came on 8-for-15 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, as she distributed a game-high tying four assists. McGuff was 6-for-9 from the floor and added a trio of rebounds and a pair of assists. Miller accounted for six offensive rebounds and scored six points, while Jones had a near double-double with 10 points and a season-high eight boards. Harvey also reached double figures with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

McMakin paced the Billikens on 7-for-21 shooting, going 8-for-9 at the free-throw line and accounting for four assists. Starting forward Brooke Flowers scored 12 points and grabbed nine boards for Saint Louis and the Billikens got nine points and eight rebounds from starting guard Julia Martinez.
 
Of Note
Miller's 16 rebounds are the second-most in a single game in the 10-year history of the Gulf Coast Showcase. They are also the most by a Belmont player since Ellie Harmeyer also grabbed 16 at Tennessee State on Feb. 29, 2020. The victory is the Bruins' first MTE win since defeating Gonzaga and Florida Gulf Coast, both of whom were receiving top-25 votes, at the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas in 2017.
 
Up Next
Belmont takes on Georgia Tech Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET in the fifth-place game of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Yellow Jackets (4-2), who the Bruins will host next Sunday at the Curb Event Center, defeated Air Force 65-59 Saturday afternoon.

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