Bruins Handle Northwestern, 83-61, Late Friday in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – In its most balanced and offensively connected performance of the young season, the Belmont University women's basketball team defeated the Big Ten Conference's Northwestern in convincing fashion, 83-61, to close the 2023 Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas. The Bruins (3-3) never trailed and led by as much as 28 with all five starters reaching double-figure scoring.
 
Embracing an extremely late tipoff that commenced just before midnight on the east coast and 11 p.m. in Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont put together a shooting clinic inside The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. Going 30-for-56 (53.6 percent) from the floor and 10-for-20 from beyond the arc, the Bruins assisted on 18 of their made baskets and connected on 13 of their 15 free-throw attempts (86.7 percent).
 
Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 10 assists, while junior forward Kendal Cheesman led all scorers with 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting which included going 4-for-7 from long range. Freshman guard Jailyn Banks (14), junior forward Tessa Miller (13) and junior guard Kilyn McGuff also scored in double figures.
 
Belmont outscored the Wildcats (3-3) by 10 in the paint (32-22), held a plus-five margin on the boards (36-31) and turned 10 Northwestern turnovers into 15 points.
 
The victory is the Bruins' fifth over a power conference program in four seasons. In addition to a 76-50 rout of Georgia earlier in November, Belmont has picked up wins against Oregon, Ole Miss and Auburn in recent years.
 
It marks the first time since February of the 2021-22 season that five different Bruins reached double-digit scoring.

?? | HC @BartABrooks shares his thoughts following the Bruins' win over Northwestern to cap their trip to Las Vegas ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/0rTRMvbcnN

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 25, 2023

Three-pointers from McGuff and Banks coupled with layups from Cheesman and McGuff gave Belmont a 10-0 lead a little over two minutes in. After the Wildcats trimmed the deficit to four, the Bruins ended the opening quarter on a 9-4 run. A Jones jumper put Belmont up 27-17 after 10 minutes of action.
 
Extending their run to 16-4, the Bruins scored the first seven points of the second quarter. A triple by senior guard Blair Schoenwald followed by a Cheesman layup gave Belmont a commanding 34-17 lead at the 8:16 mark of the quarter. Northwestern would score seven points in a row, but a Cheesman three kept the Bruins in front by 14 with four minutes to go before the break. Jones hit a remarkable shot right before halftime with the shot clock winding down, her off-balance heave from just inside the three-point line giving Belmont a 43-31 lead at intermission.

At the end of the shot clock! @tutijones3 ??#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/tRGXZ3C1vA

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 25, 2023

Jones had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists at the half as the Bruins shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29) and were 5-for-10 from outside.
 
Belmont added another 27 points in the third quarter behind 61.5 percent (8-of-13) shooting. Cheesman, McGuff and Banks combined to go 4-for-5 from deep in the quarter and the Bruins were 7-for-7 at the foul line.
 
After Cheesman knocked down five consecutive free throws, Banks converted a pair of foul shots to cap a 14-4 Belmont run that made it 57-37 with 4:27 remaining in the third. A flurry of scoring by both teams in the last four-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter resulted in 27 combined points. Cheesman splashed in her second three of the quarter to give the Bruins a 70-51 lead heading into the final stanza.
 
Essentially putting the game away, Belmont opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run over the first three-and-a-half minutes. A jumper from Jones gave the Bruins their largest lead of the night at 81-53 with just over six-and-a-half minutes to go.
 
With the game firmly in grasp, head coach Bart Brooks emptied the bench. Redshirt freshman forward Caroline Bachus scored her first collegiate points, while junior guard Liz Suder saw her first action on the court.
 
Limiting the Wildcats to only two made field goals in the third quarter, Belmont held Northwestern to 34.4 percent (11-of-32) shooting in the second half.
 
The Wildcats finished 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
In addition to her 12 points and 10 assists, Jones came up with a season-high seven rebounds and made a season-best four steals. Miller added eight boards and a trio of assists, while Cheesman doled out a pair of blocks.
 
Four different Northwestern players reached double figures led by Hailey Weaver's 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and four steals. Starting forward Caileigh Walsh posted 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Wildcats.
 
Of Note

• Along with Bachus, sophomore guard Claire Hyde registered her first bucket as a Bruin. Hyde hit a three late in the first quarter.
• All 12 of Belmont's available players got in the game.
• Ten different Bruins scored.
• Belmont improves to 4-6 in MTEs (multi-team events) under coach Brooks.
• The Bruins are 20-12 (.625) in neutral-site games under Brooks' leadership.
• Belmont has gone 11-6 in neutral-site matchups since the 2020-21 season.
• The win was just the Bruins' third against a current Big Ten team.
• Friday night was the first-ever meeting between Belmont and Northwestern.

Up Next
The Bruins remain away from the Music City and travel to Troy next Wednesday. Tipoff from Trojan Arena in Troy, Alabama, is set for 6 p.m. The non-conference matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+. Belmont is back in action at the Curb Event Center next Sunday, Dec. 3 with Middle Tennessee visiting.
 
How to Follow
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.