Women's Basketball Closes Weekend with Southern Illinois Sunday Afternoon

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the midst of its second three-game Missouri Valley Conference homestand, the Belmont University women's basketball team welcomes Southern Illinois University to the Curb Event Center Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from the Music City is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
The MVC home matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner providing play-by-play of the action and recent Bruin forward Conley Chinn Merritt ('22) serving as color analyst. Landen Secrest will be reporting from the sideline. The game can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
T-shirts from the BruinShop, the official merchandise partner of Belmont Athletics, will be given away to all fans in attendance.
 
What's Bruin

• Winners of seven of its last eight, Belmont (14-5, 7-1 MVC) is 8-1 at home this season.
• On Friday night, the Bruins improved to 3-0 versus two-time Final Four and five-time Sweet 16 member Missouri State with a 66-55 victory over the visiting Lady Bears.
• Belmont won five in a row to begin Valley play and also won five in order near the end of its non-conference slate. The Bruins have put together at least a five-game winning streak in 12-straight seasons dating back to 2012-13.
• Belmont won consecutive games by over 40 points for the first time since the 2017-18 season with a 44-point drubbing at Evansville (84-40) on Friday, Jan. 12 after defeating Bradley by 42 points (89-47) at home on Saturday, Jan. 6.
• Only three teams – No. 6 Stanford, No. 12 Ohio State and Missouri – have been able to score more than 70 points against the Bruins in 2023-24.
• Belmont has held 12 of its 19 opponents this season under 65 points and kept nine teams under 60 points.
• Leading the MVC in both scoring (60.4 PPG) and field goal percentage (38.1) defense, the Bruins have allowed more than 60 points just three times in conference play.
• Head coach Bart Brooks earned his 100th career conference win in only 112 league games on Jan. 6 with Belmont's lopsided victory over the visiting Braves.
• Two of the Bruins' five losses have been against top-15 opponents – then fourth-ranked Stanford and 13th-ranked Ohio State.
• Belmont is ranked No. 12 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.

 
Last Time Out

• Returning to Nashville following a four-game road stretch, the Bruins got off to a hot start versus Missouri State Friday and withstood a strong third-quarter rally by the visitors.
• Belmont led by as much as 22 in the second quarter and was up 38-22 at the half, but the Lady Bears outscored the Bruins 22-9 in the third quarter to climb within three. Despite Missouri State's strong second-half push, Belmont outpaced the Lady Bears 19-11 across the final nine-and-a-half minutes of play.
• Junior forward Kendal Cheesman recorded her second consecutive and third career double-double with a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds, in addition to dishing out a trio of assists and making a block.
• The Bruins were relentless inside, outrebounding Missouri State 43-32 and outscoring the Lady Bears 38-20 in the paint.
• For the third-straight game, Belmont held its opponent below 40 percent shooting as the Bruins limited Missouri State to 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the field. Belmont scored 18 points off 15 offensive rebounds and assisted on 17 of its 25 made field goals.
• Cheesman's double-double led a trio of Bruins in double figures with fellow junior forward Tessa Miller scoring 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Eight of Miller's points came in the second half, and she added six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Sophomore guard Emily La Chapell notched 13 points and four boards and knocked down all six of her free throws. Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones accounted for nine points, a team-best six assists and five rebounds.

 
Another Challenging Non-Conference

• Once again playing one of the most strenuous non-conference schedules in the nation, Belmont went 7-4 with their four losses coming against power conference opponents. Three of the Bruins' four losses were away from the Music City as Belmont went 4-1 at the Curb.
• 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 freshman standout guard Jailyn Banks and a putback attempt from junior guard Kilyn McGuff both rimmed off in the final seconds.

 
Player Notes

• Reaching double-figure scoring in six-straight games for the first time in her career, Cheesman is averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds over her last six outings. Among the top three-point shooters in the nation (41 percent), Cheesman is shooting 46.2 percent (24-of-52) from beyond the arc at the Curb this season. She pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds versus fourth-ranked Stanford 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 Georgia, 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).
• Miller has scored in double figures in all but five games this season and has distributed at least three assists in nine games. She led all Belmont scorers against the nationally-ranked Buckeyes 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 the top-five ranked Cardinal 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 the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points and 11 rebounds. With 487 career rebounds, Miller needs just 13 more to become the first Bruin to record 500 rebounds since Ellie Harmeyer Strutz (2015-20) and Maddie Wright (2016-20).
• Off to a sensational start to her collegiate career, Banks is the three-time defending MVC Freshman of the Week and has been selected for the conference weekly award five times already (Jan. 23, Jan. 16, Jan. 9, Dec. 11, Nov. 20, Nov. 13). Reaching double figures in 13 of her first 19 games, Banks is second on the team in scoring (12.3 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.
• 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 13 of the first 19 games of the season. Averaging a team-best 4.0 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 top-15 ranked Ohio State, Jones racked up a season-high five steals. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native has totaled 212 career steals, which ranks seventh in program history. In fact, Jones is second in Belmont's NCAA era in steals as she ranks behind only 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 eight occasions this season, including two of the last three games, 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 Bruins jersey on Jan. 4, sophomore guard Emily La Chapell scored a career-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting versus Illinois State. She has reached double-figure scoring in half of her first eight games at Belmont. After spending her freshman year at the BIG EAST Conference's Marquette, La Chapell made her Bruin debut in the MVC opener versus the University of Illinois Chicago. In the 64-52 win over the fellow defending MVC regular season champion Cardinals 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

• A total of 14 opponents on Belmont's schedule had a winning record in 2022-23, while 10 adversaries won 20 or more games last season and 12 made a national postseason tournament last March.
• The Bruins' schedule also features six NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago (Georgia, Mississippi State, Stanford, Middle Tennessee, Ohio State, Drake).
• Belmont's strength of schedule is currently ranked as the 82nd-toughest among 360 total Division I programs.

 
Nothing but NET

• Seven of the Bruins' 19 opponents thus far are ranked inside the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 3 Stanford and No. 13 Ohio State. Belmont is currently 69th in the NET.
• The Salukis enter Sunday with the fifth-lowest NET ranking in the Valley, sitting just inside the top 185 at No. 183.

 
Storied Success

• The Bruins won their sixth regular season conference championship in seven seasons last year. Belmont has captured nine regular season conference titles in the Bruins' NCAA era. Including the regular season and league tournament, Belmont has won 16 combined conference championships in three different Division I conferences (MVC, OVC and Atlantic Sun Conference).
• The Bruins are one of only 11 teams in the nation to have won 20 or more games for eight-straight seasons.
• Belmont (11) is 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 (1,071).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 164-33 (.832) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 104-13 (.889) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 187-38 (.831) 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 160-51 (.758) 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 118-15 (.887) 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.

 
Bruins at Home

• Belmont is 97-13 (.882) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• The Bruins have a home winning percentage of .747 (195-66) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, Belmont is an exceptional 73-12 (.859) inside the Curb.
• In conference play, the Bruins have been even more dominant at home, going 87-11 (.888) since 2012. In seven seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five league games at the Curb with a 53-5 (.914) record.

 
Versus Southern Illinois

• Sunday afternoon will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two teams with Belmont holding a 4-0 lead in the series. Three of the four matchups took place last season.
• Sunday will be a rematch of the third quarterfinal of the 2023 MVC Tournament where the Bruins defeated Southern Illinois 70-64 in Moline, Illinois. Second-seeded Belmont trailed the seventh-seeded Salukis by a point heading into the final quarter but outscored Southern Illinois 18-11 in the fourth. Miller nearly registered a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
• The Bruins also earned an 80-70 victory over the Salukis last February in Carbondale, Illinois.
• On Jan. 22 of last year, Southern Illinois visited the Music City and was blown away by Belmont in the Bruins' most dominant win ever against a Division I opponent. Belmont overwhelmed the Salukis by 56 points, 101-45. Scoring 53 second-half points, the Bruins shot 51.5 percent from the field and were 13-for-33 from deep. Belmont had four players reach double figures, including Miller's 15 points, eight boards, five assists and three steals and McGuff's 12 points and seven rebounds.
• The two programs first met on Dec. 21, 2002, in Long Beach, California, where the Bruins raced past Southern Illinois, 67-57. Belmont outscored the Salukis 33-18 in the second half.

 
About the Salukis

• Led by second-year head coach Kelly Bond-White, Southern Illinois (7-11) is off to a 2-6 start in MVC play.
• The Salukis earned non-conference wins over Southeast Missouri (85-70), Charlotte (55-52), Georgia Washington (66-55), SIUE (77-53) and Saint Louis (75-67). In league action, Southern Illinois has defeated Valparaiso (75-66) and Evansville (99-60) at home.
• The Salukis are coming off a 75-70 loss at Murray State Friday evening and are 0-4 in true road games this season.
• Southern Illinois was picked eighth in the MVC Preseason Poll after going 8-12 in the Valley last season and 12-19 overall. The Salukis finished the 2022-23 regular season seventh in the MVC standings.
• Among the top 25 teams in the country in forcing turnovers, Southern Illinois leads the Valley in both steals and turnovers forced (20.8 per game). In fact, the Salukis' 12 steals per game rank as the 12th-most in the nation.
• Southern Illinois also leads the MVC in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.6 offensive rebounds per contest.
• Junior 5-foot-11 forward Laniah Randle leads the Salukis in both scoring (17.8 PPG) and rebounding (8.9 RPG). She is also averaging 2.2 steals per game.
• Sophomore 5-foot-9 guard Jaidynn Mason, a returning MVC All-Freshman Team member, is averaging 12.4 points, 3.1 assists and a conference-best 2.9 steals per outing.
• Senior 5-foot-4 guard Quierra Love, a MVC All-Defensive Team pick last year, leads the team in assists (3.9 APG) and is averaging 9.3 points and 2.3 steals.

 
Up Next
The Bruins wrap up their three-game homestand with rival Murray State next Friday evening. Belmont's annual "Red Out" game will tip off at 6 p.m. from the Curb and will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network, available on select Bally Sports regional channels and ESPN+.
 
How to Follow
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