Bruins Begin MVC Play, Host Valparaiso Friday Evening

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Beginning its inaugural 20-game Missouri Valley Conference schedule, the Belmont University women's basketball team returns from a 10-day Christmas break Friday evening by hosting Valparaiso University. The Bruins' first-ever MVC game is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. from the Curb Event Center.
 
The holiday hoops matchup will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Belmont guard Hannah Harmeyer (analyst) calling the game. Michelle Knezovic of ESPN 102.5 The Game will be reporting from the sideline. The league contest can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• After playing seven of their 11 non-conference games away from home, the Bruins (4-7, 0-0 MVC) continue the first of two three-game homestands this season.
• The preseason favorite without ever playing a MVC game, Belmont has won a conference regular season crown five of the last six years.
• Over the last 10 seasons the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 140-29 (.828) record in league play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 161-33 (.830) against league opponents over the last 10 years.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an astounding 80-9 (.899) in conference play over his first five seasons guiding the Bruins.
• Belmont wrapped up its strenuous non-conference slate last Tuesday with a thrilling 98-87 overtime victory over Troy at home. The 185 combined points scored represented the third-highest scoring women's basketball game in the Curb's 20-year history.
• Behind a historic three-point shooting performance from graduate guard Sydni Harvey and inspired play in overtime, the Bruins outlasted the visiting Trojans. Harvey nailed a program record 10 three-pointers on only 12 attempts and scored a career-high 33 points, while sophomore forward Tessa Miller brought down a career-best 21 rebounds. Belmont had four different players reach double-figure scoring and the Bruins overcame a six-point fourth-quarter deficit. Junior guard Destinee Wells, who finished with 24 points and a season-high nine assists, made a layup with 26 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Outscoring Troy 19-13 in the fourth quarter, Belmont put together a game-changing 11-2 run over a 3:40 stretch of play. The Bruins went 5-for-7 from the field in overtime and connected on all but one of their eight free-throw attempts. Belmont was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and shot 54.5 percent overall across the fourth quarter and overtime. Knocking down a season-best 15 threes, the Bruins went 15-for-33 from distance for the game. Belmont assisted on 21 of its 32 made baskets, also a season high, and outscored the Trojans 11-5 on the fast break and 24-19 off the bench. The top rebounding and offensive rebounding team in the nation, Troy racked up an impressive 62 boards including 29 on the offensive glass. The Trojans got 26 second-chance points and outscored the Bruins 50-30 in the paint. Belmont tallied a season-best 51 rebounds, the most in a game by the Bruins since also grabbing 51 in an 86-56 win at Murray State on Jan. 23, 2020. Junior forward Madison Bartley totaled 17 points, five rebounds and two steals with 13 of her points coming in the pivotal fourth quarter. Sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff had an all-around game of 11 points, a season-high eight rebounds and a career-best four assists.
• Garnering MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week accolades for her sensational shooting display and 33-point outing, Harvey recorded the first 30-point game by a Belmont player since March 6, 2021, when Wells scored 32 in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game versus UT Martin. Her career-high 10 three-pointers were the second-most ever by a MVC player in a game and she became the first NCAA Division I women's basketball player to hit 10 threes in a contest this season. Her 10th trey 78 seconds into overtime put the Bruins up 87-82 as she tied the Curb record for made triples in a game. Harvey also became the first Valley player to make 10 threes in a contest since Drake's Kyndal Clark did so versus Loyola Chicago on Jan. 24, 2014. Prior to Harvey's 10-for-12 shooting from outside, the last Division I women's player to make 10 three-pointers on 12 or fewer attempts was Marshall's Taylor Porter, who also went 10-for-12 from deep on March 7, 2019, against Florida International University. The Nashville, Tennessee (Brentwood Academy), native went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line and added a pair of rebounds in the win over Troy. Harvey's 44.1 three-point percentage on the season is tied for the highest in the MVC and her 30 made treys through 11 games are the second-most in the conference.
• With her 21 boards in last week's victory, Miller registered Belmont's first 20-rebound performance since Ellie Harmeyer notched 20 versus the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Nov. 6, 2019. Her 21 rebounds were just three off the single-game program record of 24.
• Along with her 24 points and season-high nine assists, Wells added a trio of rebounds and a pair of steals against the Trojans. She became the first MVC player since 2016 to total 24 points, nine assists and two steals in a game. The Lakeland, Tennessee (Houston HS), native became the first MVC player since 2012 to tally 24 points, nine assists and two steals while making two or more three-pointers (2-of-5). Wells' 24-point, nine-assist, two-steal performance was only the ninth this season – three of the first eight such outings were accomplished by Iowa's Caitlin Clark, the reigning Big Ten Conference Player of the Year.
• Despite their 4-7 record, the Bruins own a top 100 NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking of No. 87, which is the third-highest of any MVC team. Valparaiso enters Friday with a NET ranking of No. 288, the second-lowest in the 12-team conference.
• Belmont's non-conference strength of schedule is currently ranked as the 16th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, the Bruins' average opponent NET ranking is the fourth-highest in the country.
• Belmont has already faced a trio of teams ranked in the top 25 of the NET – No. 17 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 19 Villanova (Nov. 25) and No. 24 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16). In fact, seven of the Bruins' first 10 games were against top-65 NET teams with Belmont's final non-conference trip to No. 50 Georgia (Dec. 17), back-to-back matchups against No. 64 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4), and a home date with No. 30 Louisville (Nov. 13).
• Seven of the Bruins' 10 non-conference opponents this season won over 20 games last year and earned a national postseason tournament bid.
• A total of 12 opponents on Belmont's schedule reached a national postseason tournament last March, including seven who earned a NCAA Tournament bid, and 11 won at least 20 games last season.
• With a challenging four-game stretch from Nov. 13-25, the Bruins have taken on three nationally-ranked teams. Louisville was ranked seventh in the nation when the Cardinals visited Nashville on Nov. 13 and Belmont traveled to now receiving-votes Middle Tennessee just three days later before heading to fourth-ranked Iowa on Nov. 20. On Friday, Nov. 25 in Estero, Florida, at the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Bruins battled then 23rd-ranked Villanova in a high-scoring 83-80 setback.
• Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Belmont is 104-24 (.813) inside the Curb. Coach Brooks has led the Bruins to a remarkable 56-10 (.848) record at home since taking over the reins of the program in April of 2017.
• Friday evening will be the first-ever meeting between Belmont and the Beacons. Valparaiso has made just two previous trips to the Music City in program history, dropping road games at Tennessee State in 1991 and Lipscomb in 2003.
• Four different Bruins have posted 20-point performances this season with Wells, McGuff and Harvey owning multiple 20-point outings. Over Thanksgiving weekend at the Gulf Coast Showcase in the Sunshine State (Nov. 25-27), Bartley also scored over 20 with a season-high 22 versus Georgia Tech on 9-for-20 shooting.
• 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 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 Belmont in front of the nationally-ranked Cardinals with only 2:17 remaining. The Lakeland, Tennessee (Houston HS), native became the Bruins' 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 1,138 points and registered 306 assists in only 67 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but five of her last 56 games and 59 of 67 career outings. Wells owns 25 20-point games and was tabbed MVC Preseason Player of the Year in Belmont's first year in the league.
• Between Harvey, who scored 1,142 points at South Florida and has accounted for 1,277 career points, and Wells, the Bruins have two career 1,000-point scorers.
• Belmont 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. The Bruins 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, Belmont began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.
• Entering their first season in the MVC, the Bruins were picked to win the conference after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members. Belmont 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, the Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for eight-straight seasons.
• Belmont is the only non-power conference program to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons.
• The Bruins have earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years and reached each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
• Belmont is 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.
• The Bruins own the 17th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,038).
• 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 127-41 (.756) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Beacons

• Led by fifth-year head coach Mary Evans, Valparaiso is coming off a three-week break from game action. Following an 83-67 loss at Western Illinois on Dec. 9, the Beacons were supposed to take on the Big Ten's Wisconsin on Dec. 22. However, due to the Christmas-week winter storm that swept the nation, Valpo's road game against the Badgers got postponed.
• Despite a 2-0 start with opening wins at Central Michigan (71-64) and over Southern Miss (72-65), the Beacons have lost six straight.
• Valpo is 1-2 on the road this season.
• The Beacons were picked to finish 10th in the MVC according to the league's preseason poll after going 11-19 overall last season and 9-9 in conference play. Valpo tied for sixth in the then 10-team MVC.
• Junior 5-foot-10 guard/forward Leah Earnest, who is tied atop the conference in rebounding (9.0 RPG), leads the Beacons in scoring (13.0 PPG).
• Ali Saunders, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, is averaging 12.3 points per contest off the bench, while 2021-22 MVC All-Newcomer Team member Olivia Brown, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, is averaging 11.4 points and 2.4 assists per game. Fifth-year 5-foot-7 guard Ilysse Pitts and Saunders lead Valpo in assists with 2.8 per outing.

Up Next
Belmont wraps up its three-game homestand on New Year's Day with the University of Illinois Chicago. Tipoff from the Curb is set for 2 p.m. with the MVC matinee matchup broadcast on ESPN+. Next weekend, the Bruins embark on their first league road trip when they travel to Drake next Friday and Northern Iowa next Sunday, Jan. 8.

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.
 
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