Bruins Return to Game Action, Travel to Georgia Saturday

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following an 11-day break from game action, the Belmont University women's basketball teams returns to the hardwood for competition Saturday afternoon at Southeastern Conference stalwart the University of Georgia. Tipoff from inside Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, is slated for 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET.
 
The matchup between two reigning NCAA Tournament Round of 32 teams will be broadcast on SEC Network+ available on the ESPN app with Matt Stewart providing play-by-play of the game and Anne Marie Armstrong serving as analyst. Dr. Rich Tiner will have the call of the action on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• Saturday's matinee tilt will be the fourth true road game for the Bruins (3-6) and second consecutive after Belmont defeated rival Lipscomb 77-68 on Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the 76th Battle of the Boulevard. The Bruins' victory over the Bisons was Belmont's first true road win of the season.
• Belmont has played six of its first nine games away from home with a trio of neutral-site affairs at the 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida, over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 25-27).
• The Bruins suffered setbacks in difficult road tests at now receiving-votes Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16) and then fourth-ranked Iowa (Nov. 20) and are 2-4 overall in games away from the Curb Event Center.
• Against one of the most daunting non-conference schedules in the nation, Belmont's last three losses have been by two possessions or less.
• Seven of the Bruins' 10 non-conference opponents this season won over 20 games last year and earned a national postseason tournament bid.
• After losing six of seven, Belmont got back to its winning ways at the opposite end of Belmont Boulevard two Tuesdays ago against Lipscomb. Behind a career-high 25 points from sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff and an all-around performance, the Bruins earned their 13th-straight Battle of the Boulevard victory. After trailing 12-4 early, Belmont stormed back before the end of the opening quarter and led for nearly 29 minutes of the contest. The Bruins went on a 12-0 run ignited by five consecutive points from McGuff in the first quarter and held a nine-point advantage at the break. Both squads scored 42 second-half points and Belmont shot 56 percent from the field, including going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, in the second 20 minutes. After the Bisons got within three with 5:20 to go, the Bruins got seven consecutive points from junior guard Destinee Wells and did not let Lipscomb get closer than eight the rest of the way. Belmont led by as much as 13 in the closing seconds and finished with a plus-nine differential on the glass (41-32). The Bruins outscored the Bisons 14-2 on the fast break and scored 36 points in the paint. Wells turned in her fourth 20-point game of the season and senior guard Nikki Baird nearly collected her first double-double with 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Both McGuff, who went 9-for-13 from the floor and 2-for-4 from deep, and sophomore forward Tessa Miller made their first career starts. McGuff and Wells both scored 14 points in the second half, while freshman guard Brooke Highmark tallied a career-high seven points on 3-for-3 shooting.
• Despite its 3-6 record, Belmont owns a top 100 NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking of No. 96, which is the third-highest of any Missouri Valley Conference team. Georgia enters the weekend with a NET ranking of No. 50.
• The Bruins' non-conference strength of schedule is currently ranked as the 13th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, Belmont's average opponent NET ranking is the fifth-highest in the country.
• The Bruins have already faced three teams ranked in the top 25 of the NET – No. 13 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 15 Villanova (Nov. 25) and No. 22 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16). In fact, six of Belmont's first nine games have been against top-65 NET teams with back-to-back matchups against No. 65 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4) and a home date with No. 38 Louisville (Nov. 13).
• With a challenging four-game stretch from Nov. 13-25, the Bruins have already taken on three nationally-ranked teams. The Cardinals were ranked seventh in the nation when they visited Nashville on Nov. 13 and Belmont traveled to Middle Tennessee just three days later before heading to fourth-ranked Iowa on Nov. 20. On Friday, Nov. 25, the Bruins battled then 23rd-ranked Villanova in a high-scoring 83-80 loss.
• A total of 11 opponents on Belmont's 2022-23 schedule won at least 20 games last season and 12 reached a national postseason tournament last March. The Bulldogs represent the fifth of seven 2022 NCAA Tournament teams the Bruins face this season.
• Saturday afternoon will be the fifth all-time meeting between Belmont and Georgia with the Bulldogs holding a 4-0 lead in the series. Saturday's game will be the first matchup between the two teams in which Georgia isn't ranked.
• The first-ever meeting in the series was the Bruins' NCAA Tournament debut in 2007 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the third-seeded and 13th-ranked Bulldogs handed Belmont a 53-36 loss in the first round. The Bruins have twice played Georgia in Athens, falling 70-38 to the then 10th-ranked Bulldogs on Nov. 18, 2012, and suffering a 62-43 loss to the nation's then 15th-ranked team on Dec. 22, 2014. Prior to Belmont hosting nationally-ranked Louisville this November, Georgia was the last top-25 opponent to visit the Curb. The then 16th-ranked Bulldogs claimed an 81-55 win in the Music City on Dec. 12, 2013.
• The Bruins' last trip to Athens, however, was in March of 2018 in head coach Bart Brooks' inaugural season at Belmont. The 23rd-ranked and 12th-seeded Bruins took on fifth-seeded and 20th-ranked Duke in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament on March 17, 2018, in Stegeman Coliseum.
• Now in her first season as Belmont's director of basketball operations, Sally McCabe scored 14 points in the Bruins' last visit to Athens, Georgia. However, the Blue Devils escaped with a 72-58 first-round win.
• Belmont has picked up road wins at SEC schools each of the last two seasons, defeating Ole Miss 62-50 last November and upending Auburn in convincing fashion, 78-57, in 2020-21.
• The Bruins are 20-43 all-time versus current SEC members and came within a ball bounce of defeating 18th-ranked and fourth-seeded Tennessee in Knoxville last March in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Coach Brooks is 3-7 against SEC opponents with wins over Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Auburn.
• Four different Belmont players have posted 20-point performances this season with both Wells and McGuff having multiple 20-point outings. Over Thanksgiving weekend at the Gulf Coast Showcase in the Sunshine State (Nov. 25-27) junior forward Madison Bartley (22 vs. Georgia Tech) and graduate guard Sydni Harvey (24 vs. No. 23 Villanova) turned in 20-point games as well.
• Wells has been held under double figures in consecutive games just once in her impressive career, finishing with nine points at then top-five ranked Iowa on Nov. 20 after scoring five at now receiving-votes Middle Tennessee on Nov. 16.
• Following the first week of the season, Wells was tabbed MVC Player of the Week after a pair of 20-point home showings against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and top-10 ranked Louisville. Wells scored 26 of her 40 points on the week in the fourth quarter, grabbed a career-high tying seven rebounds against the Mocs, and put the Bruins in front of the nationally-ranked Cardinals with only 2:17 remaining. The Lakeland, Tennessee (Houston HS), native became Belmont's 33rd 1,000-point scorer in the tightly-contested matchup with seventh-ranked Louisville and was named to the 2022-23 John R. Wooden Award^® presented by Wendy's^® Preseason Top 50 Watch List after the opening week of the season. One of only four mid-major players to appear on the prestigious watch list, Wells has scored 1,102 points and registered 290 assists in only 65 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but five of her last 54 games and 57 of 65 career outings. Wells owns 24 20-point games and was tabbed MVC Preseason Player of the Year in the Bruins' first year in the league.
• Between Harvey, who scored 1,142 points at South Florida and has accounted for 1,233 career points, and Wells, Belmont has two career 1,000-point scorers.
• The Bruins received seven votes in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and eight votes in the USA Today Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll following week one of the regular season. Belmont received 14 votes in the preseason AP Top 25 and nine votes in the preseason USA Today Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll.
• One of the premier mid-major programs in the country, the Bruins began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.
• Entering its first season in the MVC, Belmont was picked to win the conference after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members. The Bruins received 32 of 44 possible first-place votes in the preseason predicted order of finish.
• Ranked 25th in Sports Illustrated's 2022-23 basketball preview edition, Belmont has either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for eight-straight seasons.
• The Bruins are the only non-power conference program to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons.
• Belmont has earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years and reached each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
• The Bruins are one of just 12 programs in the nation and one of only three non-power conference teams (Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State) to win 20 or more games for seven-straight seasons.
• Belmont owns the 17th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,037).
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20 or more games for seven consecutive seasons in both men's and women's basketball.
• In 2021-22, Belmont and BYU were the only two schools in the country who received votes in top-25 coaches polls in men's and women's basketball and baseball during their respective regular seasons.
• In his sixth season at the helm, coach Brooks has guided the Bruins to an impressive 126-40 (.759) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Bulldogs

• Led by first-year head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who spent the previous six seasons at UCF, Georgia is off to a 9-2 start. The Bulldogs' lone losses have come to Seton Hall (86-80) in the Virgin Islands at the Paradise Jam and at home to eighth-ranked North Carolina State (65-54). Seven of Georgia's first 11 games of the season have been inside Stegeman Coliseum and the Bulldogs have played just one true road contest.
• Georgia and Belmont have played one common opponent in Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs defeated the Yellow Jackets 66-52 in Atlanta on Nov. 20.
• Georgia is coming off a dominant 84-44 win over Southern Conference regular season and tournament champion Mercer. Much like the Bruins, the Bulldogs are returning from a lengthy 10-day break from game action.
• With 17 years of head coaching experience, coach Abrahamson-Henderson spent five seasons at fellow MVC member Missouri State where she led the Lady Bears to the 2005 WNIT title and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Belmont faced coach Abrahamson-Henderson and her Knights last November in Orlando, Florida. UCF pulled away late in a low-scoring, 57-45 tussle.
• Also among the top 20 winningest programs in Division I women's basketball history, Georgia owns 1,048 all-time victories.
• Excellent on the glass, the Bulldogs rank eighth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (17.4 RPG). Georgia is 13th in the nation in rebounding margin (11.9) and 49th in boards per contest (42.1 RPG).
• The Bulldogs are ranked 38th in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 56.2 points per game. Georgia also ranks 47th nationally in scoring margin (16.0).
• A 5-foot-8 graduate transfer All-American guard from UCF, Diamond Battles leads the team in scoring (14.5 PPG) and assists (3.7 APG).
• Another graduate transfer from UCF, 6-foot-3 American Athletic Conference Sixth Player of the Year forward Brittney Smith is second among all Bulldogs in scoring (12.1 PPG) and rebounding (6.7 RPG).
• Senior 6-foot-2 forward Javyn Nicholson leads Georgia on the boards (7.6 RPG) and is averaging 8.5 points per outing.

Up Next
The Bruins return to the Music City for a mid-week matinee Christmas game with Troy next Tuesday. Tipoff from the Curb is set for 1 p.m. with Belmont's final non-conference game of the season broadcast on ESPN+.

Both single game and season tickets are on sale. Season tickets are only $199 per seat and include all men's and women's basketball home games. Click here to view available seating and purchase your seats.
 
Flex pack plans for the 2022-23 season are also on sale and can be purchased here. For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com.
 
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.