TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Despite trailing for all but six minutes of game action, the Belmont University women's basketball team staged a fourth-quarter comeback at Indiana State Sunday afternoon to improve to 5-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bruins (12-4, 5-0 MVC) led for only 1:46 of the contest but outscored the host Sycamores (5-10, 1-4 MVC) 21-7 in the fourth quarter to earn a 61-56 road victory.
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Freshman guard
Jailyn Banks made a remarkable play in the final 15 seconds to give Belmont a lead it would not relinquish. Down 56-55 with 13 seconds remaining and Indiana State inbounding in the front court, Banks ripped the ball away from the Sycamores' Ella Sawyer near midcourt and finished at the rim through an intentional foul.
Redshirt junior guard
Tuti Jones calmly knocked down both free throws following the hard foul and sealed the triumph with two more made foul shots on the Bruins' possession.
Going 2-0 on its Hoosier State trip, Belmont overcame foul trouble, 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) shooting from beyond the arc and 17 turnovers. The Bruins trailed by as much as 11 in the third quarter.
Winning its fifth straight, Belmont was deadlocked with Indiana State on the glass (35-35) but outscored the Sycamores 34-22 in the paint. Getting 23 points off their bench, the Bruins came up with a season-high 15 steals and scored 17 points off 20 Indiana State turnovers.
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Belmont turned 12 offensive boards into 16 points.
Jones' play in the fourth quarter was pivotal as she scored 10 of her game-best 13 points in the final stanza.
The Bruins quickly found themselves behind five early before Sycamore guard Bella Finnegan connected on a three-pointer to put Indiana State up 16-7 with just over three minutes left in the opening quarter. From there, Belmont went on an 11-0 scoring run capped by a layup from junior forward
Kendal Cheesman that gave the Bruins their first lead at 18-16.
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The Sycamores scored before the end of the first quarter to even things at 18 heading into the second period.
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Indiana State outpaced Belmont 10-2 across the first four-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter to take a 28-20 lead. Junior forward
Carmyn Harrison got the Bruins going midway through the quarter and Belmont closed the first half on a 7-0 run. A conventional three-point play by Harrison in the last 20 seconds of the half got the Bruins within a point at intermission at 33-32.
The Sycamores shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field in the first half as Belmont was held below 30 percent shooting in both the second and third quarters.
Layups from Cheesman and Banks were the only field goals for the Bruins in the first 6:44 of the second half. Indiana State took a 41-36 lead on a pair of free throws from starting guard Kiley Bess before going on an 8-2 run.
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A layup by Sycamore forward Chelsea Cain gave Indiana State a promising 49-38 lead with 16 seconds left in the third quarter. However, sophomore guard
Emily La Chapell ignited the fierce Belmont comeback with a deep jumper at the third-quarter buzzer.
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The Bruins scored only eight points on 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) shooting in the third quarter.
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Belmont didn't allow the Sycamores to score for the first 6:43 of the fourth quarter and Indiana State didn't have a field goal for nearly the first seven-and-a-half minutes. Jones scored six consecutive points and nailed a wing three-pointer with four minutes to go, giving the Bruins their first lead since the opening quarter at 51-49.
Cheesman sunk two free throws to cap Belmont's game-altering 15-0 run, putting the Bruins in front 53-49 with three-and-a-half minutes left.
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Four-straight points from Sycamore forward Mya Glanton over the next two minutes of play tied the score at 53 and Cain gave the lead back to Indiana State on a bucket in the paint with 1:29 remaining. Fouled on her basket, Cain was unable to convert the free throw before Banks drove down the lane and knotted the score once more at 55 with just over a minute to go.
The Sycamores' Sawyer went 1-for-2 at the foul line on Indiana State's next possession to give the home team a slim, one-point lead with 50 seconds left. Belmont was unable to capitalize on either of its next two possessions with back-to-back turnovers, despite an errant Sycamore pass with 24 seconds on the clock.
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Following the Bruins' last turnover, Indiana State elected to take a full timeout. The stoppage in play proved to be key as it gave head coach
Bart Brooks the opportunity to draw up a defensive trap. Belmont executed and Banks was able to get the game-winning steal and layup.
The Bruins outscored the Sycamores 21-7 in the fourth and gave up just two made field goals on seven attempts (28.6 percent).
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Belmont outscored Indiana State 29-23 in the second half and finished the game 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the field. The Bruins were 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) at the free-throw line.
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The Sycamores shot 43.2 percent (19-of-44) for the afternoon and were 4-for-16 from deep and 14-for-21 (66.7 percent) at the charity stripe. Belmont limited Indiana State to 33.3 percent (6-of-18) shooting in the second half.
La Chapell accounted for 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and a career-best four steals. Cheesman had 10 points and five boards, while fellow junior forward
Tessa Miller grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists. Harrison tied her career high with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting and Banks finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
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Both Cain and Finnegan scored 10 for the Sycamores.
Of Note
- The Bruins improve to 6-2 all-time versus Indiana State.
- Belmont has won five in a row for the second time this season (Nov. 24-Dec. 17)
- The Bruins have given up no more than 61 points in their five MVC outings.
- Belmont has held 11 of its 16 opponents this season under 65 points and kept eight teams under 60 points.
- La Chapell has scored in double figures in three of her five games as a Bruin.
- Cheesman has reached double figures in three consecutive contests.
Up Next
Belmont travels to Iowa next weekend, visiting Drake Friday evening and taking on Northern Iowa next Sunday. Friday's primetime matchup will tipoff at 6 p.m. from the Knapp Center in Des Moines. The Valley featured game of the week will be broadcast on Bally Sports South and simulcast on
ESPN+.
How to Follow
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