Bruins Begin Homecoming Weekend with Evansville at the Curb Friday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Returning to the Music City, the Belmont University women's basketball team tips off homecoming weekend Friday evening with the University of Evansville visiting the Curb Event Center. Tipoff of the Missouri Valley Conference matchup is slated for 6:30 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin guard Jenny Bream (Roy) (analyst) on the call. Hanley Riggs will be reporting from the sideline. The action can also be heard live on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Friday evening's contest serves as Belmont's annual Play4Kay game with "Fight for a Cure" t-shirts being given away to fans in attendance.
 
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

• On their longest winning streak of the season, the Bruins (13-10, 9-3 MVC) are trying to make it seven in a row Friday.
• After starting 3-7, Belmont has won 10 of its last 13 games.
• The Bruins have held their last six opponents to 35 percent shooting or below and their last five opponents under 60 points.
• Belmont's average margin of victory during its six-game win streak is 20.2 points.
• Juniors Madison Bartley and Destinee Wells have reached double figures in seven-straight games.
• Forward Bartley has led the Bruins in scoring each of the last six games.
• Sophomore forward Tessa Miller is averaging a double-double of 11.3 points and 11.3 rebounds over her last three 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 149-32 (.823) record in conference play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an astounding 89-12 (.881) in league action over his six seasons guiding Belmont.
• Last Sunday, the Bruins won their fifth true road game of the season with a 14-point, 68-54 triumph at Bradley. Behind strong interior play and four double-figure scorers, Belmont won its sixth straight. The Bruins scored 38 points in the paint and outrebounded the host Braves 41-35. Forcing 19 turnovers, Belmont scored 18 points off Bradley's offensive miscues and tallied 13 second-chance points on 14 offensive boards. Bartley recorded her second double-double of the season and third of her career with a game-high 22 points on 10-for-22 shooting and a game-best 12 rebounds. Junior guard Destinee Wells, Miller and sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff also reached double figures as the Bruins used dominant second and third quarters to take control of the game. After falling behind by six in the opening quarter, Belmont outscored the Braves 17-9 in the second quarter behind 53.8 percent shooting before outpacing Bradley 21-8 in the third quarter. The Bruins limited the Braves to 35.1 percent shooting for the afternoon while assisting on 17 of Belmont's 27 made baskets. Wells finished with 17 points on 4-for-7 outside shooting, five assists and a season-high four steals. Miller nearly had her third consecutive double-double, posting 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds, distributing a career-high tying five assists and making two blocks. McGuff also scored 11 and collected seven boards.
• The Bruins are 109-25 (.813) inside the Curb since the start of the 2012-13 season. Coach Brooks has led Belmont to an outstanding 61-11 (.847) record at home since taking over the reins of the program in April of 2017.
• In conference play, the Bruins have been even more dominant at home going 79-11 (.878) since 2012. In his six seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five conference games at the Curb with a 45-5 (.900) record.
• Friday evening will be the fourth all-time meeting between Belmont and the Purple Aces with Evansville holding a 2-1 lead in the series. The two programs met for the first time since 1998 two weekends ago in Evansville, Indiana, where the Bruins defeated the host Purple Aces 76-58.
• Belmont is hosting Evansville for just the second time. The Purple Aces defeated the Bruins 77-68 in Nashville in the first-ever matchup between the two teams.
• Just 12 days and two games ago on Sunday, Jan. 29, Belmont completed a 2-0 weekend in the Hoosier State with its 18-point win at Evansville. Propelled by four double-figure scorers and Miller's second career double-double, 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 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 after outscoring Evansville 23-5 in the first quarter. The Bruins held a 44-31 advantage on the glass and led for 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 the Purple Aces 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 buckets from Wells, Miller and Bartley.
• For the second time in three weeks Bartley was named both MVC and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week after leading all scorers in both of Belmont's victories over Murray State and Bradley last week. 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 22-point performance against the Braves was Bartley's sixth 20-point showing of the season, four of which have taken place over the last six games. Bartley is averaging 21.8 points and 6.7 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 was also tabbed MVC and TSWA Player of the Week the week of Jan. 23.
• 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 23 games, Wells is averaging 16.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 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 13-10 record, Belmont is ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings at No. 92 as the fourth-highest ranked MVC team. Evansville enters the weekend with the third-lowest NET ranking in the 12-team conference, sitting at 242nd.
• The Bruins' non-conference strength of schedule is ranked as the 15th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, Belmont's average opponent NET ranking (No. 130) is tied for 69th-highest in the country.The Bruins have faced four teams ranked in the top 35 of the NET – No. 8 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 11 Villanova (Nov. 25), No. 31 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16) and No. 32 Louisville (Nov. 13). In fact, Belmont has taken on nine teams ranked in the top 85 of the NET, including No. 46 Georgia (Dec. 17), No. 53 Drake (Jan. 6), No. 60 Northern Iowa (Jan. 8), No. 70 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4) and No. 86 Illinois State (Jan. 15).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Belmont's thrilling 98-87 overtime victory over Troy on Dec. 20. She recorded the first 30-point game by a Bruin 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 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 44 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.
• 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 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 (8), followed by Bartley (6), and Harvey and 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 receiving-votes 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 1,343 points and registered 361 assists in only 79 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but six of her last 68 games and 70 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 1,343 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 (1,047).
• 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 136-44 (.756) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

About the Purple Aces

• Led by second-year head coach Robyn Scherr-Wells, the Purple Aces are 10-11 on the season and 5-7 in MVC play. Evansville is currently in a three-way tie with UIC and Southern Illinois for sixth place in the conference standings.
• On a two-game slide, the Purple Aces have lost three of their last four with their lone victory in the last two weeks coming on the road at Indiana State (68-66).
• Playing four games within an eight-day span, Evansville stepped out of league play Monday and was handed a 20-point, 80-60 home loss by Ohio Valley Conference member UT Martin. The non-conference affair had been rescheduled from earlier in the season.
• Despite shooting 71.9 percent (358-of-498) at the free-throw line, the Purple Aces lead the MVC and are ranked fourth nationally in both foul shot attempts (23.7) and makes (17.1) per game.
• Going 8-22 overall and 2-16 in conference play last year, Evansville finished ninth in the then 10-team league. The Purple Aces were picked ninth in the 2022-23 MVC Preseason Poll.
• Senior 6-foot-1 guard/forward Abby Feit, an All-MVC First Team selection last season and a preseason All-MVC Team member, is one of the top scorers and rebounders in the league averaging 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing.
• Fifth-year 5-foot-7 guard Myia Clark, a 2021-22 MVC All-Newcomer Team pick after transferring in from Saint Louis, is also averaging double-figure scoring (11.8 PPG).
• Graduate student Anna Newman, a 5-foot-4 guard, is Evansville's top distributor averaging 4.3 assists per contest, while fifth-year 6-foot-1 guard A'Niah Griffin is averaging near double figures at 9.2 points per game.

Up Next
Belmont closes out homecoming weekend Sunday with Indiana State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with the MVC home game broadcast on ESPN+.

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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