Women's Basketball Begins Weekend at Southern Illinois Friday Evening

CARBONDALE, Ill. – With six games to go in the regular season, the Belmont University women's basketball team heads westward this weekend traveling to Southern Illinois Friday evening before heading to Missouri State Sunday. Tipoff of Friday's road matchup with the Salukis is slated for 6 p.m. from the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois.
 
Friday's contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play) and Mike Trude (analyst) serving as talent. Dr. Rich Tiner will have the call of the game on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Every free throw the Bruins make 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 Belmont's free throws during the month or to donate, visit Belmont's Play4Kay page. All proceeds benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
 
What's Bruin

• At 15-10 overall and 11-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play, the Bruins are only one game out from first place in the league standings.
• Owning the longest active winning streak in the MVC, Belmont is going for its ninth-straight victory.
• The Bruins have completed four consecutive 2-0 weeks after defeating visiting Indiana State 81-69 last Sunday afternoon at the Curb Event Center in the Music City.
• Belmont has not lost a game in over a month – the Bruins' last setback came at home on Jan. 15 against Illinois State (70-56).
• After a 3-7 start, Belmont has won 12 of its last 15 games.
• The Bruins' average margin of victory over their last eight outings is 21.6 points.
• With Belmont's win over the Sycamores last Sunday, head coach Bart Brooks became the winningest coach in the near 20-year history of the Curb. He has gone 63-11 (.851) at home since taking over the reins of the program in April of 2017.
• 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 151-32 (.825) record in conference play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is an astounding 91-12 (.883) in league action over his six seasons guiding the Bruins.
• Led by junior guard Destinee Wells' career-high 35 points, Belmont outpaced Indiana State last Sunday with its season-best shooting performance. The Bruins shot 54.4 percent from the field and overcame nearly equally hot shooting by the visiting Sycamores, who finished 52.9 percent from the floor. Wells went 16-for-27 to become the first Belmont player to reach 35 points in a game since Alysha Clark scored 36 in 2005. Her 16 made field goals were the most by a Bruin in a single game in over two decades. Sharp from behind the arc, Belmont went 11-for-24 from distance and made eight of its 14 first-half three-point attempts. The Bruins got 21 points off the bench after being sparked in the second quarter by sophomore forward Kendal Cheesman, who totaled a career-high tying 14 points for the second-straight game. Scoring 22 points off 21 Indiana State turnovers, Belmont led from the end of the opening quarter forward despite being outworked 30-28 in the paint and 31-25 on the glass. The Bruins withstood the Sycamores climbing within a point three times in the third quarter and outscored Indiana State 16-7 across the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter. Cheesman gave Belmont its largest lead of the day at 78-60 with 2:46 to go. She grabbed a game-high tying seven rebounds as Wells distributed a team-high five assists. Sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff finished with 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
• Friday evening will be just the third all-time meeting between the Bruins and Southern Illinois with Belmont winning each of the previous two matchups.
• The Bruins recorded their largest-ever margin of victory against a NCAA Division I opponent with a 101-45 shellacking of the Salukis on Jan. 22 in Nashville.
• In the two teams' only other meeting, Belmont defeated Southern Illinois 67-57 on a neutral floor in Long Beach, California, on Dec. 21, 2002.
• Four Bruins reached double figures against the Salukis in Belmont's most dominant performance of the season nearly four weeks ago. Imposing their will on both ends of the floor, the Bruins reached the century mark for the first time since Jan. 20, 2022, and held visiting Southern Illinois to only 22 percent shooting and 13 made field goals. Belmont owned the boards with a plus-19 rebound margin and registered season highs in both assists (24) and rebounds (52). After racing out to a 17-0 lead and not allowing the Salukis to score for the first eight-and-a-half minutes, the Bruins led by 31 at the half. Scoring a season-high 31 points in the second quarter, Belmont shot 51.5 percent and went 13-for-33 from long range. The Bruins got 21 points off 14 Southern Illinois turnovers, tallied 11 second-chance points on 14 offensive boards and outscored the Salukis 40-18 in the paint. Junior forward Madison Bartley went 9-for-10 from the floor en route to scoring a game-high 22 points in only 16 minutes of action. Wells totaled 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and dished out seven assists, while McGuff accounted for 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Sophomore forward Tessa Miller was plus-40 in plus/minus as she scored 15 points, grabbed eight boards, made a block, and tied career highs in assists (5) and steals (3).
• Following her career afternoon last Sunday, Wells was tabbed MVC Player of the Week for a second time. She scored 18 in the first half, including 11 in the opening quarter alone, and added 17 points in the second half versus the Sycamores. In Belmont's 40-point, 93-53 home rout of Evansville last Friday, Wells nearly posted a double-double while committing only one turnover with 11 points and a season-high tying nine assists. Shooting 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from the field, Wells averaged 23 points and seven assists last week. For nine consecutive games Wells has reached double-figure scoring. Her career-best 35-point performance against Indiana State was Wells' second 30-point outing of her career after scoring 32 in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game versus UT Martin. The Lakeland, Tennessee (Houston HS), native owns 11 career 25-point games and has reached 20 points on nine occasions this season. Wells was also named MVC Player of the Week on Nov. 14 after the first week of the season. She has garnered conference player of the week honors four times in her career, including being selected as OVC Player of the Week twice last season.
• The Bruins' five MVC Player of the Week awards this season are the most of any team in the conference. Bartley was chosen as MVC Player of the Week twice on Feb. 6 and Jan. 23, while graduate guard Sydni Harvey earned both MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week laurels on Dec. 27 following her historic three-point shooting display in Belmont's overtime win versus Troy.
• For the second time in three weeks Bartley was named both MVC and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week on Feb. 6 after leading all scorers in both of the Bruins' victories over Murray State and Bradley. She averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 51.4 percent (18-of-35) from the field across the two wins. Of Bartley's 17 rebounds on the week, 10 were earned on the offensive glass. Her 26-point performance against the Purple Aces last Friday was Bartley's seventh 20-point showing of the season, five of which have taken place over the eight games. The Kettering, Ohio (Kettering Fairmont HS), native is averaging 19.6 points and 5.8 rebounds since being re-inserted into Belmont's starting lineup on Jan. 20 versus Missouri State. Garnering conference player of the week honors three times throughout her career, Bartley picked up OVC Player of the Week recognition last January.
• 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 25 games, Wells is averaging 17 points, 4.8 assists and 3.2 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 15-10 record, the Bruins are ranked in the top 90 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings at No. 87 as the third-highest ranked MVC team. Southern Illinois enters the weekend with the seventh-highest NET ranking in the 12-team conference, sitting just inside the top 200 at 195th.
• Belmont's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked as the 14th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, the Bruins' average opponent NET ranking (No. 138) is tied for 81st-highest in the country.
• Belmont has faced four teams ranked in the top 35 of the NET – No. 7 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 10 Villanova (Nov. 25), No. 31 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16) and No. 32 Louisville (Nov. 13). In fact, the Bruins have taken on eight teams ranked in the top 75 of the NET, including No. 43 Georgia (Dec. 17), No. 59 Drake (Jan. 6), No. 65 Northern Iowa (Jan. 8) and No. 75 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4).
• 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. The Salukis are one of such opponents after going 21-10 a year ago and reaching the 2022 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 receiving-votes 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.
• 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 ranks among MVC leaders in made treys with 47 on the season.
• 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. Miller also collected 16 rebounds off the bench in the Bruins' 78-68 neutral-site win over Saint Louis in southwest Florida on Nov. 26, the second-most in a single game in the 10-year history of the Gulf Coast Showcase. She owns four double-figure rebounding games this season.
• With her 25-point output against the University of Illinois Chicago on New Year's Day, 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 (9), followed by Bartley (7), and Harvey and McGuff with two 20-point games apiece.
• Wells became Belmont's 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 following the opening week of the season. One of only four mid-major players to appear on the prestigious watch list, Wells has scored 1,389 points and registered 375 assists in only 81 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but six of her last 70 games and 72 total career outings. Wells owns 29 20-point games and was tabbed MVC Preseason Player of the Year in the Bruins' first year in the league.
• Between Harvey, who scored 1,142 points at South Florida and has accounted for 1,357 career points, and Wells, Belmont has two career 1,000-point scorers.
• The Bruins 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. Belmont 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, the Bruins began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.
• Entering its first season in the MVC, Belmont was picked to win the conference after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members. The Bruins 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, Belmont has either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for eight-straight seasons.
• The Bruins are the only non-power conference program to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons.
• Belmont has earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years and reached each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
• The Bruins are 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.
• Belmont owns the 17th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,049).
• 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 138-44 (.758) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Salukis

• Southern Illinois is the defending MVC regular season champion after going 15-3 in league play last season. Despite their regular season crown, the top-seeded Salukis bowed out to fourth-seeded and eventual tournament champion Illinois State in the semifinals of the 2022 MVC Tournament.
• Led by first-year head coach Kelly Bond-White, Southern Illinois was picked seventh in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• The Salukis are coming off a dominant 83-59 win at Bradley last Sunday and have won two of their last three. Southern Illinois nearly knocked off MVC leader Illinois State on the road last Friday in a narrow 73-70 loss after defeating Valparaiso 77-47 in its last home game on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Salukis' last two losses have been by a combined five points.
• Southern Illinois is 4-7 at the Banterra Center this season.
• The Salukis lead the conference and are ranked 29th nationally in steals per game (10.3), while second in the league and 34th in the nation in blocks per contest (4.5).
• A transfer from Mississippi State by way of Temple and West Virginia, 5-foot-7 Ashley Jones leads Southern Illinois in scoring (16.8 PPG).
• Junior 6-foot-5 center Promise Taylor is averaging 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing as sophomore 5-foot-11 forward Laniah Randle is averaging a team-high 6.4 boards per game.
• Junior 5-foot-4 guard Quierra Love leads the Salukis and is among MVC leaders in assists per contest (4.0).

Up Next
Belmont travels to Springfield, Missouri, Sunday to take on Missouri State. Tipoff from Great Southern Bank Arena is set for 2 p.m. The MVC road tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com.
 
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