Box Score Postgame Press Conference
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Behind one of the greatest defensive performances in program and conference history, the top-seeded Belmont University women's basketball team defeated second-seeded Tennessee Tech 51-29 Saturday afternoon to win the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Championship title. The Bruins (22-7) earn their seventh NCAA Tournament bid, sixth in the last seven years (2007, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022).
Belmont, who entered championship play Saturday among national leaders in scoring defense, rode versatile, relentless and awe-inspiring defense, limiting the Golden Eagles (20-10) to 9-of-52 shooting (17.3 percent) while forcing 17 turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Bruins got a game-high 22 points from Destinee Wells, who was named OVC Championship MVP for the second consecutive season.
Belmont led by as much as 25 late in the fourth quarter after pulling away from Tennessee Tech midway through the third. After trailing by two early in the second half, the Bruins closed the game on a 34-10 run across the final 19:22 of play.
Collecting 22 points in the paint, Belmont assisted on 11 of its 22 made field goals and shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half. Wells scored 16 of her 22 points in the second half and the Bruins went 5-for-10 from outside.
Eight different Belmont players scored in the championship affair and the Bruins notched eight blocks led by junior guard Nikki Baird's career-high three stuffs.
Closing the opening quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 12-7 lead, Belmont overcame a slow offensive start for both squads. There were just four combined points through the first four-and-a-half minutes of action.
The Golden Eagles, who outrebounded the Bruins 42-38 and owned a 19-12 advantage on the offensive glass, held Belmont scoreless through the first four minutes of the second quarter.
Baird knocked down a three-pointer, the Bruins' first triple of the afternoon, with just over four minutes to go in the half to put Belmont up 17-12.
The Bruins limited Tennessee Tech to only four made first-half field goals on 16 percent (4-of-25) shooting and took a 17-14 lead into the locker room. Belmont shot 25.8 percent (8-of-31) in the first half and was 1-for-11 from long range.
Scoring the first five points of the second half the Golden Eagles gained their first lead since the 2:37 mark of the first quarter on an Anna Jones steal and Jada Guinn fast-break layup. However, Tennessee Tech's narrow, 19-17 lead would be short lived.
Back-to-back Wells three-pointers gave the Bruins a seven-point lead with 6:35 left in the third quarter as the floodgates began to open. Sophomore guard Blair Schoenwald added consecutive treys in a 73-second span late in the quarter as Belmont extended its advantage to 38-24.
Outscoring the Golden Eagles 21-12 in the quarter, the Bruins went 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) from the field and were 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
The staggering defense continued, as Belmont nearly held Tennessee Tech scoreless the entire final 10 minutes, scoring the first 13 points of the fourth quarter before a Golden Eagle three-pointer with 12 seconds left. Fittingly, Wells capped the Bruins' 13-0 fourth-quarter run with one of her signature floaters in the paint putting Belmont up 51-26 with three minutes to go.
All told, the Bruins shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the floor and were 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from distance. Three of Tennessee Tech's nine field goals came from three-point range on 16.7 percent (3-of-18) shooting from deep. The Golden Eagles went 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) at the free-throw line.
Sophomore forward Madison Bartley contributed six points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Tuti Jones pulled down eight rebounds and distributed a game-high four assists.
Mackenzie Coleman led the way for Tennessee Tech with seven points and eight rebounds. The Golden Eagles also got a team-best 10 boards from Anna Jones.
Bartley joined Wells on the OVC All-Tournament Team after averaging 13 points on 57.1 percent shooting and seven rebounds for the weekend.
Of Note
Joining the Missouri Valley Conference next season, Belmont improves to 6-1 in OVC Championship title games. The Bruins went 18-1 across its final seven OVC Tournaments. Head Coach Bart Brooks went 12-1 in OVC Championship games with four league tournament titles in five appearances. Belmont finishes 21-4 across 10 OVC Champmionships, claiming a conference tournament title six of the 10 seasons. The Bruins' senior class will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 91-29 career record. Belmont became the first basketball program, men's or women's, to punch its ticket to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
2022 OVC All-Tournament Team
Destinee Wells, Belmont
Madison Bartley, Belmont
Katelyn Young, Murray State
Anna Walker, Tennessee Tech
Anna Jones, Tennessee Tech
Tournament MVP: Destinee Wells
Up Next
Belmont, which defeated fifth-seeded and 14th-ranked Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed, will learn of its seed, opponent and site of competition next Sunday, March 13. The 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket will be unveiled on ESPN with the selection show starting at 7 p.m. CT.
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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