NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind two 20-point scorers, the Belmont University women's basketball team picked up a 75-66 Missouri Valley Conference home victory over Missouri State Friday evening at the Curb Event Center. In the first-ever meeting between the two programs with rich NCAA Tournament experience, the Bruins (8-10, 4-3 MVC) got standout performances from juniors
Madison Bartley and
Destinee Wells and led from early on in the MVC game of the week.
Inspired first-half play, a spark off the bench from sophomore forward
Kendal Cheesman, big baskets by Wells and Bartley late, and key free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference. After the visiting Lady Bears (9-7, 4-3 MVC) got within two, Belmont closed the game on an 18-11 run over the final four-and-a-half minutes.
Limiting Missouri State to 34.7 percent (26-of-75) shooting for the night, including 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from outside, the Bruins went a season-best 20-for-25 (80 percent) at the free-throw line and hit 13 of their 14 foul shots in the all-important fourth quarter.
Belmont never trailed and led from the 7:13 mark of the first quarter onward.
Going 7-for-17 (41.2 percent) from beyond the arc, the Bruins assisted on 16 of their 24 made field goals and led by as much as 16 in the second half.
One of the top rebounding teams in the nation, especially on the offensive glass, the Lady Bears owned a plus-10 margin (50-40) on the boards. Missouri State scored 21 second-chance points off 24 offensive rebounds and outscored Belmont 19-13 off the bench.
A three-pointer by graduate guard
Sydni Harvey ignited the Bruins' offense just under three minutes in and Belmont took an 11-6 lead on a Bartley layup with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the opening quarter. The Bruins led 13-10 following the first 10 minutes of action after holding the Lady Bears to 25 percent (4-of-16) first-quarter shooting.
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Missouri State was held without a bucket for the first 2:45 of the second quarter and eight consecutive points from Cheesman put Belmont up 24-15 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. Cheesman then capped an 8-0 Bruin run with her third triple giving Belmont a 14-point lead.
With the Lady Bears going 3-for-20 (15 percent) from the field in the second quarter, the Bruins took an 11-point, 31-20 advantage into the locker room. Missouri State made only one two-point shot in the second stanza and finished the half 19.4 percent (7-of-36) from the floor. Belmont shot 40 percent (12-of-30) in the first half and went 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from deep.
Starting the third quarter on an 8-3 run, the Bruins took their largest lead of the game at 39-23 following a pair of Wells free throws. However, from there the Lady Bears put together an extended 15-3 scoring run over the next five minutes of action. A layup by Jade Masogayo got Missouri State within four at 42-38, forcing head coach
Bart Brooks to call a 30-second timeout. Sophomore guard
Kilyn McGuff and Bartley quickly re-shifted the momentum with scores and Belmont took a 48-42 lead into the final quarter.
The Lady Bears shot 50 percent (10-of-20) in the third quarter before a high-scoring fourth ensued.
Sophomore forward
Tessa Miller hit her second career three-pointer and Bartley scored on another layup to push the Bruins back out by nine at 53-44 early in the fourth quarter. Held without a field goal for a two-and-a-half-minute stretch, Belmont saw its lead trimmed down to two. A layup by Missouri State's Masogayo finished an 8-2 Lady Bear run and got the visitors within 57-55 with 4:45 left.
Wells responded in a big way, knocking down a three before Bartley made it 62-55. Missouri State would once again get within a possession at 62-59 with just under three minutes to go, but three consecutive offensive rebounds led to Bartley free throws. Scoring eight-straight points, Bartley knocked down another pair of foul shots to give the Bruins a commanding nine-point lead at 68-59 with only 1:17 on the clock.
Made free throws by McGuff, Harvey and Wells in a slow-moving last minute finished off the win.
Bartley scored 14 of her season-high 26 points in the fourth quarter as Belmont endured 37.5 percent (6-of-16) shooting, despite going 2-for-3 from long range. The Lady Bears shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) in the fourth but went 5-for-10 at the charity stripe.
Missouri State was much better from the field in the second half, shooting 48.7 percent (19-of-39) and scoring 26 points in the paint.
Guard Wells scored 17 of her 20 points in the second half and distributed a season-high tying nine assists to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Forward Bartley added a team-high eight boards, while Cheesman scored 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, grabbed four rebounds, made a pair of blocks and dished out an assist in 15-and-a-half minutes on the court.
Starting guard Aniya Thomas led the Lady Bears with 21 points and Missouri State's Kennedy Taylor posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-best 12 boards. Masogayo finished with 16 points for the Lady Bears on 7-for-10 shooting and Sydney Wilson added eight points and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
The Bruins wrap up their three-game homestand Sunday afternoon with defending MVC regular season champion Southern Illinois visiting the Music City. Tipoff from the Curb is slated for 2 p.m. with the game broadcast on
ESPN+. Next weekend, Belmont travels to Indiana State and Evansville.
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