Women's Basketball Moves to 4-3 with Gritty, 72-68 Win at Troy Wednesday

TROY, Ala. – Behind four double-figure scorers and a 40-point first half, the Belmont University women's basketball team earned its first true road victory of the young season Wednesday evening at Troy. Claiming their second consecutive win, the Bruins (4-3) defeated the host Trojans 72-68 after leading by as much as 14 early.
 
Junior guard Kilyn McGuff recorded her first career double-double with 18 points and a career-best 10 rebounds, while junior forward Tessa Miller matched her career high with 18 points as well. In her hometown return, redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones scored 13 points, grabbed eight boards, dished out a pair of assists and came up with a steal. Freshman guard Jailyn Banks posted 12 points, to go along with four rebounds and a team-high tying four assists.
 
Outscoring Troy 40-32 in the paint and 17-10 on second chances, Belmont overcame 15 missed free throws inside Trojan Arena.
 
Holding the Trojans (0-4) to 36 percent (27-of-75) shooting, including 33.3 percent (13-of-39) in the first half, the Bruins raced out to a 22-8 lead before closing the game with key free throws from Jones, Miller and Banks.
 
Troy held a 21-point, 26-5 advantage off the bench and outscored Belmont 17-5 on the fastbreak. The Trojans got 17 points off 14 Bruin turnovers.
 
Jones splashed in a wing three-pointer just over four minutes in to give Belmont an early 10-2 lead and 80 seconds later, she hit another triple to put the Bruins up 15-4. Layups from Miller and McGuff, followed by a Miller free throw made it 22-8 with two minutes to go in the opening quarter.

Welcome home, @tutijones3!!!#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/vEtQFRO1q9

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 30, 2023

Shooting 50 percent (9-of-18) in the first 10 minutes of the game, Belmont led 22-10 after one quarter of play.
 
Banks knocked down a three on a Miller offensive rebound a minute into the second quarter and moments later, Jones drained her third trey. Jones' three-pointer gave the Bruins their second 14-point lead at 28-14 with 7:38 remaining in the half. Belmont's lead would surpass double digits just twice more the rest of the evening.
 
Troy proceeded to go on a 16-6 run over the next five-and-a-half minutes of action, trimming the Bruins' advantage to four at 34-30 with just over two minutes before the break. However, Belmont responded and ended the half on a 6-2 spurt. Senior guard Blair Schoenwald sunk a three with 30 seconds left in the half to put the Bruins up 40-32 going into the locker room.

Pure water for @bschoenwald10 ??#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/V0Vte3fybV

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 30, 2023

The Trojans outscored Belmont 22-18 in the second quarter.
 
Both Jones and Miller had nine points, six rebounds and two assists in the first half.
 
Layups from junior forward Kendal Cheesman and McGuff kept the Bruins in front by nine early in the second half, before the hosts outscored Belmont 11-6 over a five-and-a-half-minute stretch. Troy reserve forward Tai'Sheka Porchia's layup got the Trojans back within four at 54-50 with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter.
 
The Bruins scored four-straight points to end the third, taking a 58-50 lead into the final stanza. Belmont went 7-for-15 from the floor in the third quarter but was outworked on the glass, 13-9.
 
A tough offensive board and layup from McGuff and a pull-up jumper by Banks extended the Bruins' run to 9-2 and gave Belmont an 11-point, 63-52 lead with 7:16 left. However, Troy refused to give in and put together a 9-2 scoring run of its own to climb back within four at 65-61 with 2:24 remaining.

Ki doing work in the second half! ??#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/VaWCo0OH8x

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 30, 2023

The Bruins got a stop on the Trojans' next possession and Banks collected the rebound before being fouled in the front court. She converted both of her free throws to make it 67-61 with 1:18 on clock. Miller then made it 68-61 with 37 seconds to go, but Troy starting forward Ja'Mia Hollings hit a three-pointer with 24 ticks left.
 
Miller connected on two more foul shots to put Belmont comfortably up 70-64 with 20 seconds showing. The Trojans got to the free-throw line on their next possession following an offensive rebound but went 1-for-2 before Jones sealed the win in the closing 10 seconds.
 
Troy starting guard Makayia Hallmon made a three as time expired.
 
The Trojans outscored the Bruins 18-14 in the final quarter as Belmont went 2-for-8 from the field and 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
The Bruins were 0-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second half and 14-of-25 (56 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
McGuff scored 10 of her 18 points in the last 20 minutes. She finished 8-for-12 from the floor and added a steal. Miller distributed a season-high four assists and also snagged eight boards.
 
Troy had four double-figure scorers as well led by Hollings' 13 points and game-best five steals. Starting guard Nia Daniel scored 12, while both Hallmon and Porchia accounted for 11 points each. Porchia also collected nine rebounds, along with Sharonica Hartsfield who tallied a game-high five assists.
 
Of Note

• Belmont improves to 13-5 all-time versus the Trojans.
• The win is the Bruins' first in Troy, Alabama, since Jan. 5, 2004.
• Head coach Bart Brooks won his 150th career game. He is an impressive 150-49 (.754) in seven seasons leading Belmont.
• Miller has scored in double figures in all seven games this season, including registering a career-best 18 points in two of her last three outings.

Up Next
The Bruins return to the Music City this weekend for a Sunday afternoon matchup with Middle Tennessee. Tipoff from the Curb Event Center is slated for 2 p.m. with the non-conference tilt broadcast on ESPN+. The Lady Raiders will visit receiving a vote in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
Ticket Information
Both single game and season tickets are on sale. Season tickets are only $199 per seat and include all women's and men's basketball home games.
 
View available seating and purchase your seats.
 
Flex pack plans for the 2023-24 season area also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com/Tickets.
 
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.