Box Score MARTIN, Tenn. – Clutch late-game three-pointers by senior guard Jamilyn Kinney and sophomore guard Tuti Jones helped lead the Belmont University women's basketball team to a gutsy, come from behind victory at defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season champion the University of Tennessee at Martin Monday evening inside the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Notching their second consecutive comeback road win, the Bruins outscored the host Skyhawks 19-9 in the fourth quarter and used an 11-3 run in the final four minutes to secure a low-scoring, 45-39 triumph.
Belmont (14-7, 10-2 OVC) trailed for 32:23 of the game and overcame 32.7 percent (16-of-49) shooting, claiming its first lead of the contest with six minutes to go.
Unexpectedly, the Bruins couldn't find the bottom of the net early and went 2-for-22 across the opening 15 minutes. The slow beginning led to an 8-3 deficit four minutes in as UT Martin (7-15, 4-7 OVC) took a 10-5 lead after one quarter of play. The two teams combined for just five made field goals in the first quarter.
After trailing by 10 at 15-5 with six minutes left in the first half, Belmont put together an 11-2 run to climb back within a point at 17-16. The Bruins held the Skyhawks without a field goal for the final six minutes of the second quarter and a jumper from senior forward Conley Chinn with just over a minute before the break provided the final points of the half.
Limiting UT Martin to 2-for-9 shooting in the second quarter, Belmont doubled its first-quarter field goal total on 30.8 percent (4-of-13) shooting.
A Jones three-pointer kept the Bruins within three in the third quarter at 24-21 but the Skyhawks kept Belmont scoreless for the following five minutes of action. After Kinney trimmed the deficit down to two at 28-26 with 19 seconds remaining in the third period, UT Martin took a 30-26 lead into the last quarter on a layup from starting guard Shae Littleford.
Neither team scored for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter before Jones nailed her third trey to get the Bruins back within one at 30-29. Moments later, Jones scored on a driving layup to give Belmont its first lead at 31-30 with six minutes remaining.
A triple by sophomore guard Blair Schoenwald put the Bruins up 34-32 with five minutes left, but the hosts would answer as Belmont found itself knotted with the Skyhawks at 34 and 36-all.
After back-to-back defensive stops, Schoenwald found Kinney in the corner with just under two minutes showing on the clock. Kinney sunk her second three-pointer of the evening to give the Bruins a 39-36 lead and UT Martin went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line on its next possession. Sophomore guard Destinee Wells found an open Jones on the wing, pushing Belmont in front 42-37 with 1:16 left.
A pair of Jones free throws with 20 seconds to go gave the Bruins their largest lead of the game at 44-37 and Kinney sealed the win with a made foul shot in the closing seconds.
For the third-straight outing, Belmont was lights out in the fourth quarter. The Bruins connected on six of their eight shot attempts and were 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
After the Skyhawks shot 50 percent in the third quarter, Belmont limited UT Martin to 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) in the fourth including 0-for-2 from distance.
The Bruins shot 50 percent (10-of-20) in the second half and went 6-for-12 from long range while holding the Skyhawks to 38.1 percent (8-of-21) second-half shooting, including 1-of-6 from deep. UT Martin finished 32.5 percent (13-of-40) from the floor and 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) from outside.
Belmont assisted on 12 of its 16 made field goals and held a 38-28 advantage on the boards. The Bruins scored 10 points off 12 Skyhawk turnovers and collected 11 offensive rebounds.
Jones led all scorers with 17 points and grabbed a career-high tying nine rebounds. Kinney registered seven points, while Wells finished with six points and a game-high seven assists.
Forward Ella Thompson led UT Martin with 15 points and six rebounds and the Skyhawks got 11 points and four assists from Littleford.
The victory is Belmont's first in Martin, Tennessee, since Dec. 30, 2017.
Up Next
The Bruins return home Thursday when they welcome Morehead State to the Curb Event Center for a 5 p.m. tipoff. On Saturday, Belmont faces Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Both conference affairs will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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