Bruins Outlast Indiana State 81-69 for Eighth-Straight Win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A career day for junior guard Destinee Wells and a season-best shooting performance led to Belmont University women's basketball's eighth-straight victory Sunday afternoon at the Curb Event Center in the Music City. The Bruins shot a season-high 54.4 percent from the field and Wells scored a career-high 35 points en route to an 81-69 win over Indiana State.
 
Improving to 15-10 on the season and 11-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play, Belmont overcame nearly equally as hot shooting by the visiting Sycamores (10-13, 5-9 MVC), who finished 52.9 percent from the floor.
 
Wells went 16-for-27 from the field and became the first Bruin to reach 35 points since 2005. Her 16 made field goals are the most by a Belmont player in over two decades.
 
The Bruins were sharp from behind the arc, going 11-for-24 (45.8 percent) from distance and making eight of their 14 first-half three-point attempts (57.1 percent).
 
Getting 21 points off the bench, Belmont was sparked in the second quarter by sophomore forward Kendal Cheesman, who tallied a career-high tying 14 points for the second consecutive game. The Bruins scored 22 points off 21 Indiana State turnovers and led from the end of the first quarter onward.

Withstanding a strong third-quarter push by the Sycamores, Belmont overcame a minus-six deficit (31-25) on the boards and a 30-28 Indiana State scoring advantage in the paint.

After graduate guard Sydni Harvey sunk a three-pointer on the Bruins' opening possession, the Sycamores' Del'Janae Williams scored Indiana State's first nine points and gave the road team an early four-point lead. Wells and junior guard Blair Schoenwald put Belmont in front with triples, but the score would be even until the final seconds of the first quarter. A Wells basket in the closing 10 seconds gave the Bruins a 21-19 lead heading into the second period.

Starting 5-for-7, Wells had 11 in the first quarter alone. The Sycamores shot a blistering 66.7 percent (8-of-12) in the first 10 minutes of action as Belmont began 4-for-7 from distance.

Wells hit her second three to begin the second quarter and Cheesman ignited a 10-0 Bruin scoring run with back-to-back treys. A Wells jumper with just over four-and-a-half minutes to go in the half gave Belmont a commanding 13-point lead at 34-21.
 
Indiana State would finish the first half on a 9-3 scoring run, getting within six at 39-33 going into the break. The Sycamores continued their torrid shooting in the second quarter and headed into the locker room shooting 63.6 percent (14-of-22). The Bruins shot 50 percent (15-of-30) across the first 20 minutes of play as Wells had 18 by halftime.

After Wells put Belmont up six at 41-35 a minute into the second half, Indiana State pulled within one on three occasions. Sycamore starting guard Anna McKendree came up with a steal and drained a three-pointer to cap a 10-5 run, getting Indiana State within a point for the final time at 46-45 with 6:21 to go in the third quarter.

Wells responded with a pair of buckets before sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff knocked down back-to-back threes. Free throws from Cheesman completed the momentum-shifting 12-0 Bruin run, extending Belmont's lead to 13 at 58-45 with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the third.

The Sycamores closed the quarter outscoring the Bruins 8-4, but Belmont took a nine-point, 62-53 advantage into the final quarter.

Going 3-for-6 from outside, the Bruins shot 61.5 percent (8-of-13) in the third quarter while Indiana State dipped below 60 percent. The Sycamores went 2-for-3 from three-point range in the quarter and were 57.1 percent (8-of-14) overall from the field.

Wells and Cheesman combined for 14 of Belmont's 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Bruins limited Indiana State to 33.3 percent (5-of-15) shooting. A jumper by Cheesman inside the paint a little over four minutes into the fourth capped a 10-2 Belmont run to begin final stanza. Outscoring the Sycamores 16-7 over the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, Cheesman gave the Bruins their largest lead of the day at 78-60 with 2:46 to go.

Foul shots from senior guard Nikki Baird and Cheesman wrapped up Belmont's scoring for the afternoon as Indiana State ended the game on a 9-3 run.

Neither team made a three-pointer in the fourth as the Bruins shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) in the second half. Belmont held the Sycamores to 44.8 percent (13-of-29) second-half shooting and Indiana State went 2-for-9 from deep.

Scoring 17 points in the second half, Wells distributed a team-high five assists while Cheesman snagged a game-high tying seven rebounds. McGuff finished with 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting beyond the arc.
 
The Sycamores were led by starting forward Chelsea Cain's 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting and team-best seven boards. Despite her fast start, Williams finished with 14 points. Indiana State also got 13 points and six boards from guard Bella Finnegan.

?? | Postgame comments from junior guard @DestineeWells1 and HC @BartABrooks following the Bruins' eighth-straight victory Sunday afternoon ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/iI4bpnzsWn

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) February 13, 2023

Of Note
The Bruins complete their fourth-straight 2-0 week. After starting the season 3-7, Belmont has won 12 of its last 15 games. The Sycamores are the first team to score more than 60 points on the Bruins since Missouri State reached 66 on Jan. 20. Indiana State is the first opponent to shoot over 35 percent against Belmont since Illinois State shot 47.8 percent at the Curb on Jan. 15. The Bruins' average margin of victory during their eight-game win streak is 21.6 points. Wells has reached double figures in nine-straight games. Her career-best 35-point performance is Wells' second 30-point outing of her career after scoring 32 in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game versus UT Martin. She owns 11 career 25-point games and has reached 20 points on nine occasions this season.
 
Up Next
Belmont travels west next weekend to Southern Illinois Friday before heading to Missouri State Sunday. Friday's tipoff versus the Salukis in Carbondale, Illinois, is slated for 6 p.m., while Sunday's game with the Bears in Springfield, Illinois, is set for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

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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