Belmont Women’s Basketball Heads to Drake for First MVC Road Test

DES MOINES, Iowa – Embarking on its first road trip in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Belmont University women's basketball team will take its three-game winning streak to Iowa this weekend. The Bruins (6-7, 2-0 MVC) take on nine-time MVC regular season champion Drake Friday evening at 6 p.m. inside the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
The conference road matchup will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Brad Wells providing play-by-play of the game and Laura Leonard serving as analyst. Dr. Rich Tiner will have the call of the action on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• Following an undefeated three-game homestand, Belmont will play away from home for the first time since Dec. 17 at Georgia.
• Last Sunday, the Bruins defeated the University of Illinois Chicago 72-59 in a dominant performance to earn their third-straight victory in a New Year's Day game.
• Belmont is off to a 2-0 start in conference play for the sixth time in 11 seasons. The Bruins have began league play 2-0 a total of 10 times in the program's NCAA era.
• After not winning consecutive games during its daunting non-conference schedule, Belmont has won three in a row for the first time this season.
• Since 2012-13, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 142-29 (.830) record in conference play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an astounding 82-9 (.901) in league action over his six seasons guiding Belmont.
• In their first-ever matchup with visiting UIC on New Year's Day, the Bruins led for nearly the entirety of the contest and held a double-digit lead from the end of the opening quarter onward. For the second-straight outing Belmont held an advantage on the glass (37-34) and limited the Flames to 27.6 percent shooting, including 2-for-15 from beyond the arc. Despite giving up 18 points on 16 turnovers, the Bruins shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and hit eight of their 19 three-point attempts (42.1 percent). Belmont led from the six-minute mark of the first quarter to the final buzzer and pushed in front by as much as 22 in the fourth quarter. Junior guard Destinee Wells turned in her sixth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, going 4-for-6 from long range. Junior forward Madison Bartley posted her second career double-double with 18 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, also coming up with a season-best three steals. Senior guard Nikki Baird tied her career high with eight boards.
• With her double-double Sunday versus UIC, both of Bartley's double-doubles have been achieved on New Year's Day as she began 2022 with 21 points and 14 rebounds in a road victory at Eastern Illinois.
• Graduate guard Sydni Harvey garnered MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week accolades following Christmas weekend for her sensational shooting display and 33-point outing in the Bruins' thrilling 98-87 overtime victory over Troy on Dec. 20. She recorded the first 30-point game by a Belmont player since March 6, 2021, when Wells scored 32 in the 2021 OVC Tournament championship game versus UT Martin. Harvey's program record 10 three-pointers were the second-most ever by a MVC player in a game and she became the first NCAA Division I women's basketball player to hit 10 threes in a contest this season. Her 10th trey 78 seconds into overtime put the Bruins up 87-82 as she tied the Curb record for made triples in a game. Harvey also became the first Valley player to make 10 threes in a contest since Drake's Kyndal Clark did so versus Loyola Chicago on Jan. 24, 2014. Prior to Harvey's 10-for-12 shooting from outside, the last Division I women's player to make 10 three-pointers on 12 or fewer attempts was Marshall's Taylor Porter, who also went 10-for-12 from deep on March 7, 2019, against Florida International University. The Nashville, Tennessee (Brentwood Academy), native went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line and added a pair of rebounds in the home win over the Trojans. Harvey's 42.5 three-point percentage and 31 made treys on the season are both among MVC leaders.
• With 21 boards against Troy, sophomore forward Miller registered Belmont's first 20-rebound performance since Ellie Harmeyer notched 20 versus the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Nov. 6, 2019. Her 21 rebounds were just three off the single-game program record of 24.
• Along with 24 points and a season-high nine assists, Wells added a trio of rebounds and a pair of steals in the Bruins' non-conference finale win over the Trojans. She became the first MVC player since 2016 to total 24 points, nine assists and two steals in a game. The Lakeland, Tennessee (Houston HS), native also became the first MVC player since 2012 to tally 24 points, nine assists and two steals while making two or more three-pointers (2-of-5). Wells' 24-point, nine-assist, two-steal performance was only the ninth in the nation this season – three of the first eight such outings were accomplished by Iowa's Caitlin Clark, the reigning Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. With her 25-point output last Sunday against the Flames, Wells became the third Belmont player since 2009-10 to score 25-plus points in 10 or more career games, joining Kylee Smith (12) and Ellie Harmeyer (11).
• Despite their 6-7 record, the Bruins own a top 100 NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking of No. 90, which is the fourth-highest of any MVC team. Drake owns the highest NET ranking in the 12-team league, entering the weekend ranked 61st.
• Belmont's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked as the 17th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, the Bruins' average opponent NET ranking (No. 101) is the sixth-highest in the country.
• Belmont has faced a trio of teams ranked in the top 30 of the NET – No. 16 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 21 Villanova (Nov. 25) and No. 26 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16). In fact, seven of the Bruins' first 10 games were against top-70 NET teams, including Belmont's final non-conference trip to No. 46 Georgia (Dec. 17), back-to-back matchups against No. 69 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4), and a home date with No. 31 Louisville (Nov. 13).
• Seven of the Bruins' 10 non-conference opponents this season won over 20 games last year and earned a national postseason tournament bid.
• A total of 12 opponents on Belmont's schedule reached a national postseason tournament last March, including seven who earned a NCAA Tournament berth, and 11 won at least 20 games last season. The Bulldogs are one of such opponents. Drake went 20-14 in 2021-22 and reached the WNIT round of 16.
• With a challenging four-game stretch from Nov. 13-25, the Bruins have taken on three nationally-ranked teams. Louisville was ranked seventh in the nation when the Cardinals visited Nashville on Nov. 13 and Belmont traveled to now receiving-votes Middle Tennessee just three days later before heading to fourth-ranked Iowa on Nov. 20. On Friday, Nov. 25 in Estero, Florida, at the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Bruins battled then 23rd-ranked Villanova in a high-scoring 83-80 setback.
• Just like Belmont's first two MVC matchups, Friday evening will be the first-ever meeting between the Bruins and the Bulldogs. Belmont is making just its second-ever trip to the state of Iowa, its first taking place earlier this season when the Bruins visited then top-five ranked Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, on Nov. 20.
• Four different Belmont players have posted multiple 20-point performances this season with Wells leading the way (6), followed by McGuff, Harvey and Bartley with two 20-point games apiece.
• Wells has been held under double figures in consecutive games just once in her impressive career, finishing with nine points at then No. 4 Iowa on Nov. 20 after scoring five at now receiving-votes Middle Tennessee on Nov. 16.
• Following the first week of the season, Wells was tabbed MVC Player of the Week after a pair of 20-point home showings against Chattanooga and top-10 ranked Louisville. Wells scored 26 of her 40 points on the week in the fourth quarter, grabbed a career-high tying seven rebounds against the Mocs, and put the Bruins in front of the nationally-ranked Cardinals with only 2:17 remaining. The star guard became Belmont's 33rd 1,000-point scorer in the tightly-contested matchup with seventh-ranked Louisville and was named to the 2022-23 John R. Wooden Award^® presented by Wendy's^® Preseason Top 50 Watch List after the opening week of the season. One of only four mid-major players to appear on the prestigious watch list, Wells has scored 1,182 points and registered 312 assists in only 69 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but five of her last 58 games and 61 of 69 career outings. Wells owns 26 20-point games and was tabbed MVC Preseason Player of the Year in the Bruins' first year in the league.
• Between Harvey, who scored 1,142 points at South Florida and has accounted for 1,285 career points, and Wells, Belmont has two career 1,000-point scorers.
• The Bruins received seven votes in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and eight votes in the USA Today Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll following week one of the regular season. Belmont received 14 votes in the preseason AP Top 25 and nine votes in the preseason USA Today Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll.
• One of the premier mid-major programs in the country, the Bruins began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.
• Entering its first season in the MVC, Belmont was picked to win the conference after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members. The Bruins received 32 of 44 possible first-place votes in the preseason predicted order of finish.
• Ranked 25th in Sports Illustrated's 2022-23 basketball preview edition, Belmont has either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for eight-straight seasons.
• The Bruins are the only non-power conference program to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons.
• Belmont has earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years and reached each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
• The Bruins are one of just 12 programs in the nation and one of only three non-power conference teams (Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State) to win 20 or more games for seven-straight seasons.
• Belmont owns the 17th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,040).
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20 or more games for seven consecutive seasons in both men's and women's basketball.
• In 2021-22, Belmont and BYU were the only two schools in the country who received votes in top-25 coaches polls in men's and women's basketball and baseball during their respective regular seasons.
• In his sixth season at the helm, coach Brooks has guided the Bruins to an impressive 129-41 (.759) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Bulldogs

• Led by second-year head coach Allison Pohlman, Drake also put together a strenuous non-conference schedule with four scheduled games against nationally-ranked opponents. Although their tilt at top-15 Iowa State was canceled due to inclement winter weather, the Bulldogs took on No. 4 Iowa (Nov. 13), No. 22 Nebraska (Nov. 19) and No. 18 Creighton (Dec. 10). Drake was competitive in all three, including upsetting the top-25 Huskers in blowout fashion (80-62) at home. After falling to Iowa by only two possessions in overtime (92-86) at the Knapp Center, the Bulldogs dropped a four-point affair at Creighton (75-71).
• However, Drake was upended by Illinois State (87-76) in its MVC opener last Friday on the road. The Bulldogs bounced back with a convincing 87-58 New Year's Day victory at Bradley.
• With a prolific offense, Drake is second nationally in assists per game (20.7) while ranking ninth in the nation in shooting percentage (48.7) and 11th in scoring (83.0 PPG). Leading all of Division I in defensive rebounds per game (34.9), the Bulldogs are 12th in the country in total rebounds per contest (45.4).
• Picked to finish third in the MVC according to the league's preseason poll, Drake earned six first-place votes after tying for sixth a season ago.
• A returning All-MVC honorable mention selection, senior 6-foot-3 forward Maggie Bair is averaging a team-leading 16.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Her 65.4 shooting percentage leads the conference.  
• A member of the preseason All-MVC Team, redshirt senior 6-foot forward Grace Berg is putting up 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
• Without the services of All-MVC First Team guard Megan Meyer, the 2021-22 MVC Newcomer of the Year, the Bulldogs are getting 12.5 points and a team-best 4.7 assists per outing from sophomore 5-foot-8 guard Katie Dinnebier.

Up Next
Belmont goes to 2022 MVC Tournament runner-up Northern Iowa Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff inside the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Next Wednesday, the Bruins travel to familiar conference foe Murray State. Sunday afternoon's game against the Panthers will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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