Bruins Visit Drake in Iowa Friday Evening for MVC Featured Game of the Week

 
DES MOINES, Iowa – In a Friday night primetime matchup of Missouri Valley Conference unbeatens, the Belmont University women's basketball team takes on Drake University inside the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Valley featured game of the week will tip off at 6 p.m.
 
The marquee matchup will be broadcast on Bally Sports South and ESPN+ with Brad Wells (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) on the call. The conference road contest can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio with Dr. Rich Tiner providing play-by-play of the action. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (12-4, 5-0 MVC) are in the midst of a four-game road trip and went 2-0 last weekend in their visit to the Hoosier State.
• Belmont routed the University of Evansville by 44 points (84-40) last Friday before stealing a 61-56 win at Indiana State last Sunday afternoon.
• On their second five-game winning streak of the season, the Bruins won five of their last six non-conference games. Belmont has put together at least a five-game winning streak in 12-straight seasons going back to 2012-13.
• In just their second season in the MVC, the Bruins go for a 6-0 start.
• Prior to last weekend's narrow road victory over the Sycamores, Belmont won back-to-back games by over 40 points – at Evansville and versus Bradley (89-47) on Saturday, Jan. 6. It was the first time since the 2017-18 season the Bruins had earned consecutive 40-point triumphs.
• Leading the Valley in both scoring (59.8 PPG) and field goal percentage (.381) defense, Belmont has given up no more than 61 points in its five MVC outings.
• The Bruins have held 11 of their 16 opponents this season under 65 points and kept eight teams under 60 points.
• Head coach Bart Brooks earned his 100th career conference win in only 112 league games on Saturday, Jan. 6 with Belmont's lopsided home win against the visiting Braves.
• The Bruins are 4-2 in true road games this season and have gone 5-3 away from the Music City.
• Two of Belmont's four losses have been against top-15 opponents – then No. 4 Standford and No. 13 Ohio State.
• The Bruins moved up two more spots in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^® and are now ranked No. 8.

 
Last Time Out

• Freshman guard Jailyn Banks quite literally stole last weekend's victory at Indiana State, taking the ball away from the Sycamores near midcourt with 13 seconds remaining and Belmont trailing 56-55. She finished at the rim through an intentional foul to put the Bruins up a point and redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones knocked down four-straight free throws to seal the win.
• Belmont trailed for all but six minutes of game action and led for only 1:46 of the contest.
• The Bruins outscored Indiana State 21-7 in the fourth quarter, limiting the Sycamores to only two made field goals on seven attempts.
• Belmont was down by as much as 11 in the third quarter but found a way to overcome foul trouble, 4-for-23 shooting from beyond the arc and 17 turnovers. Deadlocked with Indiana State on the glass (35-35), the Bruins outscored the Sycamores 34-22 in the paint and earned 23 points off their bench.
• Scoring 17 points off 20 Indiana State turnovers, Belmont made a season-high 15 steals and turned 12 offensive boards into 16 points. The Bruins held the Sycamores to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half and 4-for-16 from deep for the game.
• Jones' fourth-quarter play was pivotal as she scored 10 of her game-best 13 points in the final period.
• Sophomore guard Emily La Chapell accounted for 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and a career-high four steals, while junior forward Kendal Cheesman scored 10 and earned five rebounds. Fellow junior forward Tessa Miller grabbed a game-high nine boards and dished out a team-best four assists. Tying her career high, junior forward Carmyn Harrison scored eight points on 3-for-5 shooting. Banks finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and a career-best three steals.

 
Another Challenging Non-Conference

• Once again playing one of the most strenuous non-conference schedules in the nation, Belmont went 7-4 with its four losses coming against power conference opponents. Three of the Bruins' four losses were away from Nashville as Belmont went 4-1 at the Curb Event Center.
• Six of the Bruins' 11 non-conference opponents were from power conferences. Five of Belmont's first six games of the season were against power conference programs.
• The Bruins defeated two power conference teams during the non-conference portion of the schedule, routing Southeastern Conference mainstay Georgia 76-50 in Belmont's home opener on Nov. 10 and toppling the Big Ten Conference's Northwestern 83-61 at the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas on Nov. 24.
• The Bruins own five victories over power conference teams in four seasons. In addition to the Lady Bulldogs and the Wildcats, Belmont has earned wins against Oregon, Ole Miss and Auburn in recent years.
• The Bruins also came within a point of defeating receiving-votes Mississippi State on Sunday, Nov. 19 inside the Curb. A free-throw line jumper by Banks and a putback attempt from junior guard Kilyn McGuff both rimmed off in the final seconds.

 
Player Notes

• Miller has scored in double figures in all but three games this season and has distributed at least three assists in seven games. She led all Belmont scorers at top-15 ranked Ohio State with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting after scoring a career-best 19 points in the win at Kennesaw State where she knocked down a career-high nine free throws on nine attempts. In the Bruins' battle with top-five ranked Stanford at the Ball Dawgs Classic in the desert, Miller went 9-for-16 from the floor for 18 points after registering her fifth career double-double in Belmont's trouncing of Georgia with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
• Off to a sensational start to her collegiate career, Banks is the two-time defending MVC Freshman of the Week and has been selected for the conference weekly award five times already (Jan. 16, Jan. 9, Dec. 11, Nov. 20, Nov. 13). Reaching double figures in 11 of her first 16 games, Banks is second on the team in scoring (12.7 PPG). A native of Spring Hill, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee Christian School), Banks tallied 23 points in the season opener at Missouri, the fourth-most by any true freshman this season making her debut.
• Cheesman is proving to be one of the most elite three-point shooters in the country. Shooting 48.9 percent (22-of-45) from three-point range at the Curb this season, Cheesman is an impressive 43.6 percent (34-of-78) from deep. She pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds versus the fourth-ranked Cardinal and scored a game-high 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including going 4-for-7 from outside, in the convincing win over Northwestern inside The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. In her first career start, the home blowout of the Lady Bulldogs, Cheesman erupted for a career-high 28 points on 9-for-15 three-point shooting and collected nine boards. Her nine three-pointers are tied for the third-most by a NCAA Division I women's basketball player in a game this season and were just one shy of both the single-game program and Curb Event Center record. The Tampa, Florida (H.B. Plant HS), native became the first player since at least 2009-10 to make nine threes and secure nine rebounds against a power conference team. For her performance, Cheesman was selected as Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week (Nov. 14).
• After her true junior season was cut short due to injury last year, Jones returned for the opener against the Tigers and has distributed at least four assists in 11 of the first 16 games of the season. Averaging a team-best 3.9 assists per game, Jones earned her second career double-double versus the Wildcats in Vegas with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists. Against the nationally-ranked Buckeyes, Jones racked up a season-high five steals. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native has totaled 209 career steals, which ranks among the top 10 in program history. In fact, Jones is third in the Bruins' NCAA era in steals as she ranks behind only Erica Davenport (210) and Tara Montgomery (244). Named to the preseason All-MVC Second Team, Jones was the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an All-OVC First Team selection as a sophomore in 2021-22.
• Going up against her father's program, McGuff secured a team-high six rebounds at Ohio State. She has scored in double figures on six occasions this season and notched two double-doubles. After recording her first career double-double in the win at Troy with 18 points and 10 boards, McGuff scored a season-best 22 points in the home victory over receiving-votes Middle Tennessee. For those two performances, McGuff captured her first MVC Player of the Week award on Dec. 4. In the 77th Battle of the Boulevard versus nearby rival Lipscomb, McGuff had a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with 13 points.
• In just her second game donning the Belmont jersey, La Chapell scored a career-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting. She has reached double-figure scoring in three of her first five games as a Bruin. After spending her freshman year at the BIG EAST Conference's Marquette, La Chapell made her Belmont debut in the MVC opener versus the University of Illinois Chicago. In the 64-52 win over fellow defending MVC regular season champion Illinois State to start the new year, La Chapell had a breakout game as she went 2-for-4 from long range and added a trio of boards and a block.

 
Among the Toughest Schedules in the Nation

• The Bulldogs are the 12th of 14 opponents on the Bruins' schedule who had a winning record in 2022-23, the eighth of 10 adversaries who won 20 or more games last year and the 10th of 12 teams who made a national postseason tournament last March.
• Drake is the sixth NCAA Tournament team from a year ago that Belmont has faced this season.

 
Nothing but NET

• Six of the Bruins' 16 opponents thus far are ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 3 Stanford and No. 15 Ohio State. Belmont is currently 70th in the NET.
• The Bulldogs enter the weekend as the only team ranked higher than the Bruins from the MVC, checking in at No. 64.

 
Storied Success

• Belmont won its sixth regular season conference championship in seven seasons last year. The Bruins have captured nine regular season conference titles in Belmont's NCAA era. Including the regular season and league tournament, the Bruins have won 16 combined conference championships in three different Division I conferences (MVC, OVC and Atlantic Sun Conference).
• Belmont is one of only 11 teams in the nation to have won 20 or more games for eight-straight seasons.
• The Bruins (11) are one of only three programs to have won more than 10 combined conference championships (regular season and tournament) over the last seven seasons. UConn (14) and Florida Gulf Coast (12) are the other two.
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20-plus games for eight consecutive seasons in both women's and men's basketball.
• The Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls each of the last eight seasons.
• Belmont has won the 17th-most games in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,069).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 162-32 (.835) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 102-12 (.895) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 185-37 (.833) against league opposition over the last 12 seasons.

 
Under Coach Brooks

• In his seventh season at the helm, coach Brooks picked up his 150th win in less than 200 career games with the Bruins' 72-68 victory at Troy on Nov. 29.
• Coach Brooks was named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. Since his arrival in Nashville, he has led Belmont to a 158-50 (.760) record, four NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in 2021 and 2022. The third-fastest head coach to 100 career victories in Division I women's basketball history, Brooks owns an astounding record of 116-14 (.892) against conference opponents, including conference tournament games. He ranks among the top 10 of active Division I head coaches in terms of winning percentage.

 
MVC Preseason Poll

• The Bruins were picked fourth in the MVC but gained one first-place vote in the preseason predicted order of finish after capturing a regular season championship in Belmont's first year in the conference in 2022-23. Going 23-12 overall and 17-3 in the Valley, the Bruins reached their third-straight conference tournament title game and made their 10th national postseason appearance in 11 seasons with an at-large bid to the WNIT.

 
Versus Drake

• Friday evening will be a rematch of the 2023 MVC Tournament championship game. Drake defeated Belmont 89-71 to capture last year's Hoops in the Heartland title.
• The MVC Tournament championship game loss to the Bulldogs snapped the Bruins' 16-game winning streak, which was one of the longest in the nation at the time. It was only coach Brooks' second-ever loss in a conference tournament and first in a conference tournament title game.
• Prior to last season's Hoops in the Heartland championship game loss, Belmont had not lost a conference tournament title game since 2014 and had won six consecutive league tournament title games. The Bruins entered the 2023 MVC Tournament championship game 20-1 in conference tournaments since 2016.
• Friday will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs. The first three games in the series took place last year with the two teams splitting the two regular season matchups.
• Belmont avenged a 94-63 setback at Drake last January with an 83-77 victory over the visiting Bulldogs last February in Nashville. The Bruins' 31-point loss in their last visit to Des Moines was Belmont's largest margin of defeat since Nov. 30, 2019, versus Maryland in Daytona Beach, Florida.
• McGuff scored in double figures in two of last season's three meetings with Drake. She notched 15 points on 3-for-6 three-point shooting in last year's Hoops in the Heartland title game and averaged 12.3 points on 6-for-12 three-point shooting, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals across the three games against the Bulldogs.

 
About the Bulldogs

• Led by third-year head coach Allison Pohlman, Drake is the reigning MVC Tournament champion.
• The 12th-seeded Bulldogs nearly upset fifth-seeded Louisville in last year's NCAA Tournament, falling 83-81 to the eventual Elite Eight contenders.
• Also off to a 5-0 start in MVC play, Drake likewise went 7-4 during its non-conference slate. Three of the Bulldogs' four losses were against power conference opponents. Drake was defeated 113-90 at second-ranked Iowa (Nov. 19), suffered a 74-66 home loss to Richmond (74-66), fell 94-88 in double overtime at Minnesota (Dec. 2) and was topped 89-78 by 20th-ranked Creighton (Dec. 17) in Des Moines.
• The Bulldogs picked up one power conference win with an 85-73 home triumph over Iowa State on Nov. 12.
• Drake has defeated the likes of UIC (82-62), Valparaiso (83-54), Evansville (78-68), Indiana State (77-47) and Southern Illinois (78-59) this year in the Valley.
• The Bulldogs were picked second in the MVC Preseason Poll but earned 12 first-place votes after going 22-10 overall and 14-6 in the Valley last season. Drake tied with Missouri State for fourth place in last year's final MVC standings.
• Leading the conference in six statistical categories, the Bulldogs are among the top teams in the nation in field goal percentage (49.8 – 8th), assists per game (19.6 – 13th), points per game (81.9 – 14th), free-throw percentage (81.1 – 4th), blocks per game (4.8 – 31st) and rebounding margin (+7.8 – 33rd).
• Junior 5-foot-8 guard Katie Dinnebier, graduate 6-foot forward Grace Berg and junior 6-foot-3 forward Anna Miller were all preseason All-MVC selections and are among the top players in the Valley.
• Dinnibier leads the league and ranks among the top 50 players in the country in assists (100), assists per game (6.3), scoring (19.1 PPG), points (306), field goal percentage (58.5), free-throw percentage (90.0), made free throws (90), steals (47) and steals per game (2.9).
• Miller, the reigning MVC Defensive and Sixth Player of the Year, leads the Valley and is among the top 25 shot blockers in the nation with 37 blocks (2.3 BPG). She also is the MVC's top rebounder, averaging 9.3 per outing.
• Berg, a returning All-MVC Third Team pick along with Dinnibier, is averaging 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.
• Redshirt senior 5-foot-11 guard Taylor McAulay is also averaging double-figure scoring (11.1 PPG) and 2.0 steals per game.

 
Up Next
The Bruins head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunday to take on Northern Iowa. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. from the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The game will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN available on ESPN+.
 
How to Follow
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