Women's Hoops Welcomes Murray State Thursday for Red Out

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Dipping into February, the Belmont University women's basketball team returns to game action and the Curb Event Center Thursday evening with Murray State visiting the Music City. Tipoff of the Missouri Valley Conference home matchup is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
Presented by Wilson Bank & Trust, the game is a red out with all fans in attendance encouraged to wear red.
 
Thursday's league contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner having the play-by-play call of the action. Former Bruin guard Jenny Bream (Roy) will serve as analyst and Hanley Riggs will be reporting from the sideline. The game can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Every free throw Belmont makes throughout the month of February benefits the Kay Yow Cancer Fund through the Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge. To learn more about Play4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, visit KayYow.com. To make a pledge on the Bruins' free throws during the month or to donate, visit Belmont's Play4Kay page. All proceeds benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
 
What's Bruin

• Riding a four-game win streak, their longest of the season, the Bruins (11-10, 7-3) are over .500 for the first time since beginning the season 1-0.
• After starting 3-7, Belmont has gone 8-3 in its last 11 games.
• The Bruins have held their last four opponents to 35 percent shooting or below and their last three opponents to under 60 points.
• Juniors Madison Bartley and Destinee Wells have reached double figures in five-straight games.
• Forward Bartley has scored at least 22 points in three of her last four outings and led Belmont in scoring each of the last four games.
• In their last home game on Sunday, Jan. 22, the Bruins put up 101 points and won by 56 in a 101-45 blowout of Southern Illinois. The rout was Belmont's largest margin of victory against a NCAA Division I opponent in program history.
• Thirteen of the Bruins' first 18 opponents won no fewer than 19 games a year ago and reached a national postseason tournament.
• Since 2012-13, Belmont has compiled a remarkable 147-32 (.821) record in conference play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an astounding 87-12 (.879) in league action over his six seasons guiding the Bruins.
• Behind four double-figure scorers and sophomore forward Tessa Miller's second career double-double, Belmont defeated the University of Evansville 76-58 last Sunday afternoon. Completing a 2-0 weekend in the Hoosier State, the Bruins got off to a hot start and shot 50 percent from the field while limiting the host Purple Aces to 35 percent shooting. Both Bartley and guard Wells scored 18 points and sophomore forward Kendal Cheesman added 10 off the bench. Miller tallied a game-high 11 rebounds and 10 points and Belmont mounted a 27-point lead in the third quarter. The Bruins held a 44-31 advantage on the glass and led of all but the scoreless opening 30 seconds. For the second consecutive Sunday, Belmont was stifling in the opening quarter and raced out to a 17-0 lead 4:51 in. Despite Evansville trimming down the deficit to 11 with just under three-and-a-half minutes left, the Bruins closed the game on a 9-2 run thanks to timely offensive boards and big baskets from Wells, Miller and Bartley.
• Thursday evening will be the second meeting between Belmont and the Racers this season. Murray State handed the Bruins their ugliest loss of the year on Jan. 11 in Murray, Kentucky. The Racers held Belmont to a season-low 46 points in a 64-46 defeat. It was Murray State's first win over the Bruins in Kentucky in over 23 years and only the Racers' second victory against Belmont since the two teams became conference adversaries in 2012-13. For the only time this season all Bruins were held under double figures and Belmont shot just 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the floor. The Bruins were 7-for-29 (24.1 percent) from three-point range and were outworked 30-20 in the paint. Murray State held a 35-27 advantage on the boards and led the entire way, getting a game-best 20 points from 2021-22 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Katelyn Young.
• Belmont is 108-25 (.812) inside the Curb since the start of the 2012-13 season. Coach Brooks has led the Bruins to an outstanding 60-11 (.845) record at home since taking over the reins of the program in April of 2017.
• In league play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home going 78-11 (.876) since 2012. In his six seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five conference games at the Curb with a 44-5 (.898) record.
• The Bruins and the Racers have met 24 times previously with Belmont holding a commanding 20-4 lead in the series.
• Going 14-1 against Murray State during the Bruins' 10-year run in the OVC, Belmont has won 15 of the last 17 matchups dating back to the 2000-01 season.
• The Racers last win over the Bruins in Nashville was on Jan. 19, 2021, when Murray State escaped the Curb with a 72-66 triumph. Belmont defeated the Racers 67-52 in Murray State's last trip to the Curb on Jan. 15 of last year. Bartley scored a career-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in the win.
• On Jan. 18, Wells was named to the midseason watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. One of only 15 players nationally in contention for the player of the year award, Wells has reached double-figure scoring in all but four games. Through 21 games, Wells is averaging 16.4 points, 4.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds per contest. She ranks third in the MVC in scoring and is second in assists as the only player in the league averaging over 16 points and four assists.
• Despite their 11-10 record, the Bruins are ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings at No. 92 as the fourth-highest ranked MVC team. The Racers enter Thursday with the sixth-highest NET ranking in the 12-team conference, sitting at 127th.
• Belmont's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked as the 15th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, the Bruins' average opponent NET ranking (No. 120) is 59th-highest in the country.
• Belmont has faced a trio of teams ranked in the top 25 of the NET – No. 9 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 16 Villanova (Nov. 25) and No. 21 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16). In fact, the Bruins have taken on nine teams ranked in the top 85 of the NET, including No. 35 Louisville (Nov. 13), No. 49 Georgia (Dec. 17), No. 53 Drake (Jan. 6), No. 65 Northern Iowa (Jan. 8), No. 72 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4) and No. 84 Illinois State (Jan. 15).
• Seven of Belmont's 10 non-conference opponents this season won over 20 games last year and earned a national postseason tournament bid.
• A total of 13 opponents on the Bruins' schedule reached a national postseason tournament last March, including seven who made the NCAA Tournament, and 12 won at least 20 games last season. Murray State is one of such opponents as the Racers went 22-10 in 2021-22 and reached the WNIT.
• With a challenging four-game stretch from Nov. 13-25, Belmont has taken on three nationally-ranked teams. Louisville was ranked seventh in the nation when the Cardinals visited Nashville on Nov. 13 and the Bruins traveled to now No. 21 Middle Tennessee just three days later before heading to then fourth-ranked Iowa on Nov. 20. On Friday, Nov. 25 in Estero, Florida, at the Gulf Coast Showcase, Belmont battled then 23rd-ranked Villanova in a high-scoring 83-80 setback.
• Recording her second career double-double on Jan. 1 in the 72-59 home win over the University of Illinois Chicago with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both of Bartley's double-doubles have been achieved on New Year's Day. 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 40.0 three-point percentage and 44 made treys on the season are both among MVC leaders.
• With 21 boards against Troy, 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 against UIC, 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).
• Four different Bruins have posted multiple 20-point performances this season with Wells leading the way (8), followed by Bartley (5), and Harvey and sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff 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 top-25 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 Belmont in front of the nationally-ranked Cardinals with only 2:17 remaining. The star guard became the Bruins' 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 1,308 points and registered 356 assists in only 77 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but six of her last 66 games and 68 total career outings. Wells owns 28 20-point games and was tabbed MVC Preseason Player of the Year in Belmont's first year in the league.
• Between Harvey, who scored 1,142 points at South Florida and has accounted for 1,341 career points, and Wells, the Bruins have two career 1,000-point scorers.
• Belmont 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. The Bruins 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, Belmont began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.
• Entering their first season in the MVC, the Bruins were picked to win the conference after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members. Belmont 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, the Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for eight-straight seasons.
• Belmont is the only non-power conference program to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons.
• The Bruins have earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years and reached each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
• Belmont is 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.
• The Bruins own the 17th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,045).
• 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 134-44 (.753) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Racers

• Led by sixth-year head coach Rechelle Turner, Murray State is 11-8 overall after tying the program record for wins in a regular season last year (21). The Racers are eighth in the MVC standings with a 4-6 league record.
• After winning six of eight games and starting conference play 4-2, Murray State has lost four in a row. The Racers have not won since Jan. 15 when they toppled Bradley 83-48 at home.
• Murray State went 0-2 in Indiana last weekend, dropping a 75-67 decision at Evansville last Friday before suffering a 62-56 setback at Indiana State last Sunday.
• The Racers lead the MVC and are ranked 10th nationally in free-throw percentage (78.8), but are 11th in the conference and rank near 200th in the country in free-throw attempts per game (16.4). Murray State's plus-6.9 rebound margin average ranks 37th in the nation and is third-best in the league.
• Returning four starters from last season, the Racers were picked to finish fourth in the MVC according to the preseason poll.
• Junior 6-foot-1 forward Katelyn Young, who was named preseason All-MVC along with Wells, is one of the top scorers in the nation. She leads the MVC and ranks 11th nationally in scoring (21.2 PPG) while among league leaders in rebounding (7.9 RPG).
• Nearing 2,000 career points, redshirt senior 5-foot-6 guard Macey Turley is averaging 10.2 points and a team-best 3.4 assists per contest.

Up Next
Belmont travels to Peoria, Illinois, Sunday for a single road game at Bradley. Tipoff from Renaissance Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. with the matinee matchup broadcast on ESPN+. Next weekend, the Bruins host Evansville and Indiana State across homecoming weekend.
 
Single game tickets are on sale. Click here to view available seating and purchase your seats.
 
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com.
 
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