Bruins Douse Flames in 20th Victory of the Season

CHICAGO – Prior to Thursday night, no team had scored 80 points against the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022-23. That all changed as the Belmont University women's basketball team put up 81 points in a dominant 81-56 road victory at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago to secure its eighth consecutive 20-win campaign.
 
The Bruins (20-10, 16-3 MVC) could barely be stopped by the host Flames (16-14, 8-11), who lead the Missouri Valley Conference and rank in the top 35 nationally in scoring defense. Belmont shot 60 percent (31-of-52) from the floor paced by a career-high 31 points from junior forward Madison Bartley.
 
Winning their 13th straight, the Bruins remain tied atop of the 12-team league standings with just one regular season game remaining.
 
With its offense firing on nearly all cylinders, Belmont was ultra-efficient assisting on 23 of its 31 made field goals and committing just nine turnovers. The Bruins scored 36 points in the paint, knocked down eight three-pointers and went 11-for-13 at the foul line.
 
On the boards, Belmont held a 33-21 advantage as sophomore forward Tessa Miller notched her third double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Bruins used a 16-2 scoring run to close the opening quarter and never looked back.
 
UIC held the lead for nearly two-and-a-half minutes early and was up 9-7 at the first media timeout. In fact, the Flames led 11-7 just over five-and-a-half minutes in before five quick points from Bartley put Belmont back in front 12-11.
 
The Bruins' lengthy scoring run across the final four minutes of the first quarter gave Belmont a 23-13 lead. Despite a 2-for-7 start from outside, the Bruins went 6-for-6 on two-point shots in the opening stanza with graduate guard Sydni Harvey accounting for eight points.
 
A Miller layup made it 33-20 with just under four minutes to go in the half and Belmont outscored UIC 13-6 across the last six minutes of the second quarter.
 
The Bruins took a commanding 16-point, 42-26 lead into the locker room after shooting 63 percent (17-of-27) in the first half. Belmont went 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) in the second quarter and a trio of Bruins were in double figures by halftime – Bartley (13), Miller (11) and junior guard Destinee Wells (10).
 
The Flames scored the first five points of the second half before Belmont settled back in and got 10-straight points from Bartley to take a 19-point, 52-33 lead midway through the third quarter. A Wells three gave the Bruins their first 20-point advantage of the night at 55-35.
 
Closing the third quarter on an 8-3 run, Belmont scored the last five points of the period to take a 24-point, 66-42 lead into the final 10 minutes of play. Bartley scored 13 of the Bruins' 24 points in the quarter and Belmont continued to torch the nets, going 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) form the field and 4-for-8 from long range.
 
UIC would get no closer than 20 in the fourth quarter and a Bartley basket with 4:35 to go gave her a career high in scoring. Senior guard Nikki Baird, a native of nearby Wheaton, Illinois, and junior guard Blair Schoenwald put a bow on the triumph with late-game triples.
 
Despite cooling off considerably in the fourth quarter, the Bruins shot 50 percent and outscored the Flames 15-14. Belmont shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half and went 6-for-12 from deep. Bartley scored 18 of her 31 points in the second 20 minutes of action and Schoenwald recorded all eight of her points in the second half.
 
The Bruins held UIC to 39.2 percent (20-of-51) shooting and the Flames went 5-for-15 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. UIC finished 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
Wells tallied 16 points and distributed a game-high six assists. Bartley, who added five boards, a trio of assists and a season-high tying three blocks, went 13-for-18 from the floor and was 3-for-5 from three-point range.
 
The Flames were led by starting forward Josie Filer's 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting. UIC also got 11 points and six rebounds from starting guard Jaida McCloud and another 11 points from Danyel Middleton.

Of Note
Belmont improves to 9-0 in February and March. After a 3-7 start, the Bruins have won 17 of their last 20. Belmont's average margin of victory during its 13-game winning streak is 17.6 points. The Bruins improve to 156-32 (.830) in conference play since 2012-13 and head coach Bart Brooks moves to 96-12 (.889) in league action. Belmont is a stunning 86-11 (.887) in February and March since 2016 and coach Brooks has led the Bruins to a 66-8 (.892) record in the two key months since his arrival in Nashville. Belmont joins Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State as the only three non-power conference programs to win 20 or more games for eight-straight seasons. Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20-plus games for eight consecutive seasons in both men's and women's basketball. Three different Bruins have scored more than 30 points in a game this season as Bartley joins Wells (35) and Harvey (33). Bartley's 31-point performance is her eighth 20-point game of the season and fourth career 25-point outing. With her three blocks, Bartley registered her 100th career block. She needs only 40 more points to become Belmont's 34th 1,000-point scorer. Wells has scored in double figures for 14-straight games, while Bartley has reached double figures in 13 of her last 14 outings.
 
Up Next
The Bruins wrap up the regular season Saturday afternoon at Valparaiso. Tipoff from the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana, is set for 1 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPN3.

Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on Twitter, @belmontwbb on Instagram and Belmont Women's Basketball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.