Bruins and Lady Bears Meet in Missouri Sunday Afternoon

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a pivotal Missouri Valley Conference matchup, the Belmont University women's basketball team takes on Missouri State Sunday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
Sunday's road tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Mike McClure providing play-by-play of the game and Carly Stubblefield serving as talent. Dr. Rich Tiner will have the call of the league contest on Belmont All-Access via BelmontBruins.com. Live in-game statistics will be also 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

• Both the Bruins (16-10) and the Lady Bears (17-7), who are 12-3 in MVC play, sit only a half game out from the top of the conference standings with just five regular season games remaining. The winner of Sunday's game will move into a three-way first-place tie with Illinois State and Northern Iowa.
• Belmont picked up a gritty 80-70 road win at Southern Illinois Friday evening at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois, to extend the league's longest active winning streak.
• Having won nine in a row, the Bruins are looking to complete their fifth consecutive 2-0 week.
• 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 beginning the season 3-7, Belmont has won 13 of its last 16 games.
• The Bruins' average margin of victory over their last nine contests is 20.3 points.
• Junior guard Destinee Wells has scored in double figures for 10-straight games, while junior forward Madison Bartley has reached double figures in nine of her last 10 outings.
• Thirteen of Belmont's first 18 opponents won no fewer than 19 games a year ago and reached a national postseason tournament.
• Since 2012-13, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 152-32 (.826) record in conference play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an astounding 92-12 (.885) in league action over his six seasons guiding Belmont.
• Behind strong play from their starting cast, the Bruins earned their sixth true road win of the season Friday against the host Salukis. Paced by a trio of double-figure scorers, Belmont shot over 50 percent for the second consecutive game and owned the interior where the Bruins outscored Southern Illinois 36-24. Belmont shot 53 percent from the field, went 7-for-15 from deep and held a 36-32 advantage on the glass. The Bruins earned a season-high 30 free-throw attempts and led from the four-minute mark of the first half forward. After going scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and trailing by six in the second quarter, Belmont went on a momentum-shifting 17-4 run across the final seven minutes of the first half. Scoring 47 second-half points, the Bruins used a 10-2 fourth-quarter run to take their largest lead of the night at 72-60 with only 2:51 left. Completing the regular season sweep of the Salukis, Belmont got a game-high 19 points from both Wells and Bartley as sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff tallied 17 points, 14 of which were scored in the second half. Sophomore forward Tessa Miller grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and distributed a career-high six assists to go along with six points and two blocks.
• Sunday afternoon will be only the second-ever meeting between the Bruins and Missouri State. Belmont snapped a two-game slide on Friday, Jan. 20 at the Curb Event Center in Nashville against the visiting Lady Bears, earning a 75-66 triumph.
• Led by outstanding performances from Bartley and Wells, the Bruins were sparked by inspired play off the bench from sophomore forward Kendal Cheesman in Belmont's first matchup with Missouri State. Finishing the game on an 18-11 run over the final four-and-a-half minutes, the Bruins secured the win with big baskets from Wells and Bartley late and key free throws down the stretch. Belmont limited the visiting Lady Bears to 34.7 percent shooting, including 4-for-15 from three-point range, while finishing a season-best 20-for-25 (80 percent) at the foul line. The Bruins hit 13 of their 14 free throws in the all-important fourth quarter and assisted on 16 of their 24 made field goals for the night. Never trailing, Belmont led from the 7:13 mark of the first quarter onward and pulled in front by as much as 16 in the second half. Bartley scored a season-high 26 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter, and snagged a team-high eight rebounds. Wells finished with 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half, a season-high tying nine assists, five boards and two steals. Cheesman posted 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, pulled down four rebounds, made a pair of blocks and dished out an assist in 15-and-a-half minutes on the court.
• Freshman guard Brooke Highmark is a Missouri native. She hails from St. Louis, which is about three-and-a-half hours from Springfield, and is the daughter of Scott Highmark, who was one of the best players in Saint Louis University history and is a St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame member. Highmark starred at Westminster Christian Academy where she averaged 18.5 points, four steals and three assists per game as a junior, helping lead the Wildcats to a 23-5 record and a state quarterfinal appearance while reaching the coveted 1,000-point scoring mark.
• Following her career-high 35-point afternoon last Sunday in the 81-69 home win over Indiana State, 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 the Bruins' 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. Her career-best 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.
• Belmont's 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 the Bruins' 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 Belmont's 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. The Kettering, Ohio (Kettering Fairmont HS), native is averaging 19.6 points and 5.6 rebounds since being re-inserted into the Bruins' 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 26 games, Wells is averaging 17.1 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 its 15-10 record, Belmont is ranked in the top 90 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings at No. 87 as the fourth-highest ranked MVC team. The Lady Bears enter Sunday with the fifth-highest NET ranking in the 12-team conference, sitting just outside the top 100 at 105th.
• The Bruins' non-conference strength of schedule is ranked as the 13th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, Belmont's average opponent NET ranking (No. 141) is tied for 84th-highest in the country.
• The Bruins have faced four teams ranked in the top 35 of the NET – No. 7 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 10 Villanova (Nov. 25), No. 30 Louisville (Nov. 13) and No. 32 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16). In fact, Belmont has taken on eight teams ranked in the top 75 of the NET, including No. 40 Georgia (Dec. 17), No. 60 Drake (Jan. 6), No. 65 Northern Iowa (Jan. 8) and No. 74 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4).
• Seven of the Bruins' 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 Belmont's schedule reached a national postseason tournament last March, including seven who made the NCAA Tournament, and 12 won at least 20 games last season. Missouri State is one of such opponents. The Lady Bears went 25-8 in 2021-22 and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they won a First Four game against 11th-seeded Florida State.
• With a challenging four-game stretch from Nov. 13-25, the Bruins have taken on three nationally-ranked teams. Louisville was ranked seventh in the nation when the Cardinals visited Nashville on Nov. 13 and Belmont 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, the Bruins 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 Belmont's thrilling 98-87 overtime victory over Troy on Dec. 20. She recorded the first 30-point game by a Bruin 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 Belmont 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 48 on the season.
• With 21 boards against Troy, Miller registered the Bruins' 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 Belmont's 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 Bruin since 2009-10 to score 25-plus points in 10 or more career games, joining Kylee Smith (12) and Ellie Harmeyer (11).
• Four different Belmont players 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 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 following the opening week of the season. One of only four mid-major players to appear on the prestigious watch list, Wells has scored 1,408 points and registered 379 assists in only 82 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but six of her last 71 games and 73 total career outings. Wells owns 29 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 1,366 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 (1,050).
• 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 139-44 (.760) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Lady Bears

• Led by first-year head coach Beth Cunningham, Missouri State is once again in the mix for a MVC regular season title.
• Despite finishing as runner-up in last year's regular season conference race and getting bounced by third-seeded Northern Iowa in the 2022 MVC Tournament semifinals, the Lady Bears put together a strong non-conference résumé with a trio of victories over power conference programs (USC, No. 24 Virginia Tech, Missouri). Missouri State earned an at-large berth in the Big Dance and took sixth-seeded Ohio State late into the fourth quarter in the first round after defeating Florida State in the First Four.
• During this season's non-conference schedule, the Lady Bears claimed a 63-59 win at TCU (Dec. 9). Missouri State had one common opponent with Belmont before getting into MVC play, suffering a 79-54 loss to Middle Tennessee on Nov. 26 at the Las Vegas Invitational.
• On an eight-game winning streak, the Lady Bears are 9-3 at home and are coming off a double-overtime victory against Murray State Friday night. After not being able to score in the final two minutes of regulation, Missouri State's Aniya Thomas hit a three-pointer in the last 25 seconds of the first overtime to send the game into another extra period. The Lady Bears then put the game out of reach at 92-86 in the second overtime.
• Returning only one starter from last year's NCAA Tournament squad, Missouri State was picked to finish sixth in MVC in the league's preseason poll.
• The Lady Bears are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, ranking 19th nationally in rebounds per contest (42.6) and ninth in rebound margin (plus-10.3). Furthermore, Missouri State leads the conference and is ranked sixth in the country in offensive boards per outing (16.4).
• Senior 5-foot-7 guard Thomas, a transfer from Kansas, leads the Lady Bears in scoring (14.6 PPG) and assists (4.4 APG).
• Both sophomore 6-foot-3 forward Taylor Kennedy (11.7 PPG/8.2 RPG), a Colorado transfer, and sophomore 5-foot-11 forward Indya Green (8.3 PPG/7.9 RPG) are averaging near double-doubles.
• Senior 5-foot-11 guard Sydney Wilson is also averaging double-figure scoring at 11.3 points per game. 

Up Next
The Bruins wrap up the home portion of the regular season next week as Belmont hosts Northern Iowa Thursday and Drake next Saturday for senior day.  

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