Box Score CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Behind a season-high 22 made free throws and a crucial defensive stop in the final seconds, the Belmont University women's basketball team escaped with a 70-67 triumph at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday afternoon. The Bruins got clutch free throws from sophomore guard Destinee Wells and senior forward Conley Chinn in the closing 20 seconds before not allowing the Redhawks to get a shot off as time expired with Belmont up by three.
Leading by as much as 16 in the third quarter and owning a lead for 38 minutes of the contest, the Bruins were outscored 43-34 in the second half. Belmont led by seven at 65-58 with just over four minutes to go but was held without a field goal for the remainder of the afternoon as Southeast Missouri ended the game on a 9-5 run.
Going 22-for-25 (88 percent) at the foul line, the Bruins (16-7, 12-2 OVC) overcame 34.5 percent (20-of-58) shooting inside the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Belmont had four double-figure scorers for the second consecutive game and earned its sixth-straight victory, marking the Bruins' second six-game win streak of the season.
Forcing 16 Redhawk turnovers, Belmont scored 20 points off SEMO's miscues and came up with stops when it mattered most. After the Bruins held the Redhawks to only four made field goals in the opening quarter, SEMO shot 50 percent in both the second and third quarters.
The Redhawks (5-20, 1-13 OVC) outrebounded Belmont 33-27 and turned 11 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points while outscoring the Bruins 42-20 in the paint and 20-7 off the bench.
Belmont held a 12-5 lead at the first media timeout thanks to two early threes from sophomore guard Tuti Jones and the Bruins hit a trio of three-pointers in the quarter to pull in front 15-9 after the first 10 minutes.
Using a 9-0 run across three minutes of play in the second quarter, Belmont built a 13-point advantage at 28-15 with four-and-a-half minutes to go in the half. Jones splashed in a deep triple right before the break, giving the Bruins a 12-point, 36-24 lead heading into the locker room.
Neither team was particularly outstanding from the field in the first half but Belmont went 9-of-11 at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes and knocked down five threes.
A 6-0 run with a layup from Chinn and free throws by Wells and sophomore forward Madison Bartley put the Bruins up 42-26 just over three minutes into the second half. However, the hosts would not be deterred by Belmont's largest lead of the day as SEMO went on a 19-7 run over the ensuing five minutes of play to climb back within four at 49-45. Four consecutive points from Bartley in the last three minutes of the third quarter made it a six-point affair at 53-47 going into the fourth quarter.
Outscoring the Bruins 23-17 in the third period, the Redhawks went 8-for-16 from the floor and limited Belmont to 31.3 percent (5-of-16) shooting.
Treys by Wells and senior guard Jamilyn Kinney kept the Bruins in front by seven early in the third quarter before a pair of Wells free throws put Belmont up by nine at 61-52 with 7:28 left. From there, the Bruins would be outscored 15-9 across the final seven minutes.
A jumper from freshman forward Tessa Miller made it 63-54 but SEMO scored four-straight points to trim the lead down to five with five minutes remaining. After a Wells layup with 4:07 on the clock, Belmont's last field goal of the afternoon, the Redhawks converted two free throws and made a defensive stop. SEMO scored a layup on its next possession to make it a three-point contest at 65-62 with 2:21 to go.
Wells calmly made two free throws with two minutes left to give the Bruins a 67-62 lead, but the Redhawks got another layup to go with 1:47 remaining. With Belmont unable to score on its next possession SEMO had a chance to get within one or tie, but the Redhawks were fouled and converted just one of their two free throws. Leading by two at 67-65 with just under a minute to go, the Bruins came up empty-handed on two short-range shot attempts in the lane that rimmed out.
Wells made a steal on a SEMO pass with 29 seconds left and knocked down both of her foul shots to put Belmont up 69-65 with only 19 seconds remaining. Fouled on a three-point attempt in the corner, the Redhawks' Taelour Pruitt cashed in two of three free throws with 16 ticks to go, making it a two-point affair once again.
Head coach Bart Brooks wisely called a timeout to advance the ball and the Bruins were fouled prior to inbounding. Chinn went 1-for-2 at the line making her first free throw, and Belmont played excellent defense as SEMO brought the ball up the floor following a defensive rebound.
Wells led the Bruins with 18 points on 10-for-10 free-throw shooting and dished out four assists, while Jones scored 16 with four threes and a team-high seven rebounds. Bartley totaled 14 points and Chinn finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Redhawk starting guard Roshala Scott led all scorers with a career-high 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting, distributed a game-high five assists and grabbed seven boards. SEMO got 10 points from both Pruitt and Deanay Watson, who also recorded seven rebounds.
Up Next
Belmont returns to the Music City next week, hosting Eastern Illinois Thursday at 5 p.m. and SIUE Saturday at 2 p.m.
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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