Bruins Roll Past Middle Tennessee Sunday Afternoon, 71-57

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A strong, connected defensive effort and a dazzling three-point shooting display guided the Belmont University women's basketball team past Middle Tennessee, 71-57, Sunday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center. Going an impressive 13-for-24 from beyond the arc while limiting the visiting Lady Raiders (6-3) to 31.6 percent shooting, the Bruins (5-3) won their third straight.
 
Junior guard Kilyn McGuff, on the heels of recording her first double-double Wednesday evening in the win at Troy, was sensational as she went 4-for-5 from distance en route to tallying a game-best 22 points and snagging a team-high eight rebounds.
 
After missing 15 free throws in the midweek road victory over the Trojans, Belmont went a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. The Bruins never trailed and led for nearly the entirety of the afternoon after almost two minutes of scoreless action to start the game.
 
Outworking Middle Tennessee 38-32 on the glass, Belmont limited the Lady Raiders to only two double-figure scorers and 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) shooting from outside. Starting red-hot from long range, the Bruins led by as much as 23 in the second half.
 
A 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) shooting performance in the second quarter gave Belmont a commanding lead and the Bruins never let up on the defensive end.
 
Junior forward Kendal Cheesman and redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones poured in 15 points apiece with Cheesman going 5-for-7 from three-point distance and Jones finishing 3-for-6 from outside the arc.

"The best connected effort we've had defensively this year..."

?? | Junior guard Kilyn McGuff and HC @BartABrooks following the Bruins' 71-57 win over Middle Tennessee ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/p1rQluScAk

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) December 3, 2023

McGuff accounted for seven of Belmont's initial nine points, sinking her first three-pointer just under seven minutes in. With a little under a minute remaining in the first quarter, Jones knocked down her first triple to give the Bruins a 15-9 lead.
 
Starting 3-for-5 from deep, Belmont led 15-12 after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
A layup from senior guard Blair Schoenwald sparked a 10-3 Bruin scoring run midway through the second quarter. A Cheesman three followed by another basket from McGuff, gave Belmont a 29-21 lead with four minutes to go in the half.
 
Back-to-back treys by Cheesman and a McGuff three-pointer put an exclamation point on a game-best 14-0 scoring run that shifted all the momentum to the Bruins. Going 4-for-4 from three-point range in the first half, Cheesman's fourth triple put Belmont up 38-21 inside the last minute of the half.
 
The Bruins ended the half on a 19-5 run and led by 15, 38-23, at the break.
 
Cheesman and McGuff both had 12 points at halftime, while Jones had 10.
 
Connecting on five of its six three-point attempts in the second quarter, Belmont finished 8-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Bruins held Middle Tennessee to 25 percent (8-of-32) shooting across the opening 20 minutes.
 
Buckets from McGuff and junior forward Tessa Miller put Belmont up 19 early in the third quarter, before McGuff drilled another three midway through the stanza to give the Bruins their first 20-point lead of the game at 47-26. The Lady Raiders trimmed the advantage to 15 with three minutes left in the third and again in the final 45 seconds, but a layup from junior forward Carmyn Harrison and a contested deep jumper from freshman guard Jailyn Banks at the buzzer closed out the quarter.

.@Jailynbanks3 right before the third-quarter buzzer!!#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/mXbRUCNke2

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) December 3, 2023

Belmont led 56-37 heading into the fourth.
 
Free throws from McGuff capped a 9-1 Bruin run at the 8:17 mark of the fourth quarter, giving Belmont its largest lead of the day at 61-38. Three-pointers by Cheesman and Jones kept the Bruins in front by 23 before Middle Tennessee ended the game on a 13-4 run over the closing six minutes.
 
The Lady Raiders outscored Belmont 20-15 in the fourth quarter and shot 40 percent (10-of-25) in the second half. The Bruins were an earthlier 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) from distance in the second half and shot 40.7 percent (11-of-27) overall from the field.
 
Belmont assisted on 17 of its 25 baskets.
 
Jones distributed a game-high four assists, came up with a pair of steals and added five rebounds. Banks and Schoenwald combined for 13 points.
 
Starting guard Ta'Mia Scott led Middle Tennessee with 20 points on 7-for-8 free-throw shooting. Fellow starting guard Savannah Wheeler had 10 points before fouling out and 6-foot-6 center Anastasiia Boldyreva posted nine points and eight boards.
 
Of Note

• The Lady Raiders entered the weekend receiving a vote in the USA Today Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll.
• The Bruins improve to 4-1 against Middle Tennessee under head coach Bart Brooks.
• The 31.6 percent shooting clip for the Lady Raiders is the lowest Belmont has held any opponent to this season.
• The Bruins have held their last three opponents under 70 points.
• Belmont has made 10 or more three-pointers on three different occasions through eight games.
• The Bruins improve to 15-19 all-time versus Middle Tennessee.
• Cheesman is shooting 59.4 percent (19-of-32) from three-point range at the Curb this season.

Up Next
Belmont hosts nearby rival Lipscomb Wednesday afternoon in the 77th Battle of the Boulevard. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. with the men's game versus the Bisons following. The highly-anticipated doubleheader will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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.