Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Setting the tone in the first quarter and putting things out of sight in the third quarter, the Belmont University women's basketball team won its eighth consecutive game Saturday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center. Behind 57 percent (33-of-58) shooting and five double-figure scorers the Bruins defeated visiting SIUE 88-50, completing the season sweep of the Cougars and collecting their 10th-straight win in the series.
With the home victory and Austin Peay's win over Tennessee Tech, Belmont clinches at least a share of the 2021-22 Ohio Valley Conference regular season title. The Bruins (18-7, 14-2 OVC) now own a two-game lead in the league race with two regular season games remaining.
Paced by senior forward Conley Chinn's season-high tying 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Belmont displayed its efficient offense throughout the 40 minutes of action and shot over 60 percent in both the first and fourth quarters. The Bruins erased their empty possessions to open the afternoon and finished with 22 assists on their 33 made field goals.
Forcing 21 SIUE turnovers, Belmont came up with a season-high 15 steals and scored 26 points off the Cougars' miscues. Outworking SIUE 40-35 on the glass, the Bruins connected on eight three-pointers, got 26 points off the bench, and scored 38 points in the paint.
Belmont led for nearly 36 minutes of the contest and did not trail after the 6:51 mark of the first quarter. The Bruins held the Cougars (10-17, 6-10 OVC) to 31 percent (21-of-68) shooting, including only 16 percent (3-of-19) from beyond the arc. SIUE didn't help its cause either, going 5-for-10 at the free-throw line.
Neither team scored for nearly the first two minutes of the game and Belmont was held without a basket until four minutes in. However, things quickly sped up for the Bruins' offense. Triples from sophomore guard Tuti Jones and Chinn, along with a Jones steal and layup, highlighted a momentum-changing 15-2 Belmont run over a three-and-a-half-minute stretch that put the Bruins up 16-4.
Seven-straight points from sophomore forward Madison Bartley, including a step-back three from the top of the key, stretched Belmont's lead to 19-5 with under three minutes to go in the first quarter. The Bruins led 23-9 after one quarter of play, going 9-for-15 (60 percent) from the field and hitting three of their first six three-point attempts.
Freshman guard Kilyn McGuff capped a 13-4 Belmont run with a wing banked-in three pushing the Bruins out in front by 21 at 34-13 three-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter. A Chinn layup with two minutes to go before the break made it 43-21 and Belmont took a 44-25 advantage into halftime.
Freshman guard Kilyn McGuff capped a 13-4 Belmont run with a wing banked-in three pushing the Bruins out in front by 21 at 34-13 three-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter. A Chinn layup with two minutes to go before the break made it 43-21 and Belmont took a 44-25 advantage into halftime.
The Bruins began the second half on an 11-4 run and took a 26-point, 55-29 lead on a Destinee Wells trey just under four minutes into the third quarter. Bartley scored five of Belmont's 10 points during a 10-3 run over a three-minute stretch of action in the third, her layup giving the Bruins a 31-point lead at 65-34 with under two minutes left in the quarter.
Holding the Cougars to 20 percent (4-of-20) shooting in the third quarter, Belmont racked up five steals while continuing to shoot 50 percent (8-of-16). The Bruins took a commanding 65-36 lead into the final quarter.
Chinn scored 13 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, going 5-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from long range. Belmont was impressive in the quarter, shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the floor, going 2-for-3 from outside and making five of its six foul shots (83.3 percent). Keeping SIUE to 33.3 percent (6-of-18) shooting, including 1-of-4 from deep, the Bruins scored another 23 points in the fourth.
A free throw from sophomore guard Blair Schoenwald closed out a 12-4 Belmont run and gave the home team a 35-point lead at 77-42 with 5:42 remaining. Chinn was responsible for nine of the Bruins' final 11 points, closing the game on a 7-2 run of her own in the last 2:40.
Belmont shot 55.2 percent (16-of-29) across the second half and limited the Cougars to 10 made field goals on 26.3 percent (10-of-38) shooting. SIUE went 2-for-10 from downtown and was 3-of-6 at the charity stripe.
Both Bartley and sophomore guard Wells reached 16 points as freshman forward Tessa Miller and Jones finished with 10 points each. Recording her seventh double-figure scoring game in the last 17 outings, Miller went 4-for-5 from the floor and hauled in a game-high nine rebounds. Jones finished with a season-high tying six assists and posted a game-best four steals. Wells grabbed six rebounds and distributed a trio of assists, while senior guard Jamilyn Kinney dished out five assists and earned three steals.
It marks the sixth time this season five different Bruins have reached double figures in the same game.
Despite 14 different Cougars seeing the floor, no SIUE player reached double-figure scoring. The Cougars were led by starting guard Mikia Keith's nine points and starting forward Mikayla Kinnard's eight points. SIUE forward Prima Chellis tallied a team-high seven rebounds.
Up Next
Belmont wraps up the regular season next week, traveling to Murray State (20-7, 12-4 OVC) Thursday for a 5 p.m. tip in Murray, Kentucky, before hosting Tennessee State (11-16, 6-10 OVC) next Saturday, Feb. 26 for homecoming and senior day. Both games 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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