Bruins Win Third Straight, Pick Up Road Victory at Indiana State Friday

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the first time, the Belmont University women's basketball team has a three-game winning streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bruins earned their second MVC road victory of the season Friday evening at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, defeating Indiana State 65-51.
 
Improving to 10-10 overall and 6-3 in league play, Belmont put together an all-around performance with strong play on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. The Bruins took control of the game early on and led for 37 minutes of the contest, mounting a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter.
 
Led by near double-doubles from juniors Madison Bartley and Destinee Wells, Belmont scored 32 points in the paint, made timely three-pointers and earned a plus-nine advantage on the boards (43-34).
 
Forward Bartley recorded her third consecutive 20-point game, scoring a game-best 24 points on 10-for-20 shooting while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Guard Wells registered 15 points and dished out a game-best eight assists, committing only two turnovers in the process.

The Bruins started the evening 4-0 but the host Sycamores (8-10, 3-6 MVC) quickly climbed their way back and led 8-6 just under three minutes in. Behind nine first-quarter points from Bartley, including a late three, Belmont led 20-16 following the first 10 minutes of action.
 
Off to a hot start, the Bruins shot 57.1 percent (8-of-14) in the first quarter.

A triple from sophomore forward Kendal Cheesman put Belmont up six at 28-22 a little over four minutes into the second quarter. Wells would give the Bruins an eight-point lead at 34-26 on layup with just over two minutes to go in the first half.

Indiana State went 12-for-32 (37.5 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

Belmont began the second half on an 8-4 run and a Wells trey gave the Bruins an 11-point advantage at 43-32. After the Sycamores trimmed the lead to seven at 46-39, threes by Wells and graduate guard Sydni Harvey, along with a Bartley layup put Belmont ahead by 14 at 54-40 heading into the final quarter of play.

Outscoring Indiana State 19-12 in the third quarter, the Bruins went 4-for-10 from beyond the arc in the stanza and limited the Sycamores to 28.6 percent (4-of-14) shooting.

A lengthy 14-4 Belmont scoring run during a near seven-minute stretch from 4:10 left in the third to the 7:18 mark of the fourth quarter extended the Bruins' lead to 19 at 60-41. It would be the largest margin for the remainder of the game as Indiana State outscored Belmont 10-5 across the final six minutes.

With the Bruins enduring nearly a four-and-a-half-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter, both squads made only four field goals in the closing 10 minutes. The Sycamores went 2-for-3 from outside in the fourth with Belmont going 3-for-4 at the free-throw line.
 
Holding Indiana State to 32 percent (8-of-25) shooting in the second half, the Bruins went 11-for-27 (40.7 percent) form the floor and 4-for-5 at the foul line.

For the game, Belmont shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) and went 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) from long range. The Bruins finished 9-for-12 at the charity stripe and assisted on 15 of their 24 made field goals.
 
Shooting 35.1 percent (20-of-57) for the evening, the Sycamores went 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) from distance and were 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
Sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff notched nine points and brought down five boards. Harvey scored eight and added a pair of steals, while Cheesman tallied six rebounds to go along with five points.
 
Indiana State starting guards Anna McKendree and Del'Janae Williams paced the Sycamores with 13 points apiece. McKendree also pulled down a game-high tying eight boards for Indiana State.

Of Note
Belmont is on its second three-game win streak of the season. The Bruins have held each of their last three opponents to 35 percent shooting or lower. Belmont improves to 4-2 all-time against the Sycamores, claiming its first win over Indiana State since Nov. 27, 2011. Bartley is averaging 24 points on 56 percent shooting and 6.7 rebounds over the last three games.
 
Up Next
The Bruins wrap up their weekend stay in the Hoosier State Sunday afternoon at Evansville. Tipoff from Meeks Family Fieldhouse is slated for 1 p.m. with the MVC road matchup broadcast on ESPN+. Next Thursday, Belmont hosts Murray State in the Music City.

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