Bruins Go Toe-to-Toe with 12th-Ranked Ohio State Sunday Afternoon at the Curb

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 19-4 second-half run by the Belmont University women's basketball team and a tie game with thirty seconds left against 12th-ranked Ohio State Sunday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center ended in a 67-63 win for the visiting Buckeyes. The Bruins (2-2) held a nine-point lead with just over five minutes remaining, but top-15 ranked Ohio State (3-0) got four consecutive points from freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge in the closing 20 seconds to spoil Belmont's upset bid in the Music City.
 
Despite trailing by as much as 13 in the second quarter, the Bruins remained composed and began to hit shots before taking a brief lead late in the first half. After being down six at the 4:27 mark of the third quarter, Belmont took a 50-47 lead into the final quarter of play thanks to game-changing 10-1 run.
 
The Buckeyes ended the game on a 17-4 run.
 
After Ohio State's Kennedy Cambridge put the visitors up by four at 63-59 with a corner three with just over two minutes to go, the Bruins made three-straight defensive stops. Graduate guard Kendall Holmes fought for a defensive rebound and then converted both of her foul shots, before fellow graduate guard Tuti Jones poked the ball away with under 50 seconds left and Belmont trailing 63-61.
 
Junior guard Emily La Chapell drove to the basket and drew a foul with 36 seconds remaining. She knocked down both of her free throws to tie the game at 63.
 
Following a Buckeye timeout, Jaloni Cambridge completed an and-one play to put Ohio State up 66-63 with a little less than 14 seconds on the clock. The Bruins were whistled for an offensive foul on their ensuing possession and had only 1.8 seconds to work with after Jaloni Cambridge went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line.
 
With no four-point play within reach, freshman forward Hilary Fuller's three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed off.

Starting 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, Belmont went 1-for-14 from deep in the second half. The Bruins were also plagued by 21 turnovers.
 
Belmont held the nationally-ranked Buckeyes to under 35 percent (23-of-67) shooting as Ohio State went 13-for-25 (52 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
Jones gave the Bruins their first lead of the day a little over two-and-a-half minutes in and a Holmes trey put Belmont up 10-8. The Bruins led by four in the opening quarter before the Buckeyes ended the frame on a 12-4 run to pull ahead 20-16.
 
Ohio State starting forward Cotie McMahon had 10 of the Buckeyes' first 20 points.
 
Extending its run to 21-4, Ohio State scored the first nine points of the second quarter to build a commanding 29-16 lead with seven minutes to go in the half.
 
However, consecutive three-pointers midway through the second quarter from Fuller and La Chapell quickly got Belmont back in it. Holmes drained her second triple to make it a one-point deficit at 31-30 with just over three minutes to go before the break. Moments later, Holmes connected on a pair of free throws to put the Bruins back in front. Her made foul shots with 2:37 left in the half capped an impressive 16-2 Belmont run.
 
The Buckeyes scored the last five points of the half and led 36-32 at intermission.
 
Holmes had 10 points by halftime, while sophomore guard Jailyn Banks had eight. McMahon scored 17 of her game-high 21 points in the first half for Ohio State.
 
Back-to-back baskets from La Chapell quickly evened the score within the first minute of the second half, but the Bruins were unable to retake the lead. Free throws from starting guard Chance Gray put the Buckeyes up 46-40 before Belmont began its improbable run.
 
Ignited by a layup from senior forward Kendal Cheesman, the Bruins quickly closed the gap and took a 48-47 lead on a Holmes layup with 90 seconds remaining in the third quarter. La Chapell ended the quarter with a tough take to the hole and finishing layup, giving Belmont its promising lead heading into the fourth.
 
Behind 61.5 percent (8-of-13) shooting, the Bruins outscored Ohio State 18-11 in the third quarter. Belmont scored 16 of its 18 points in the paint and La Chapell accounted for eight of those.
 
The Bruins didn't slow down and took an eight-point lead four minutes into the final stanza with Holmes' third three. Moments later, sophomore guard Kensley Feltner collected an offensive board and put it back in to give Belmont a convincing 59-50 lead with 5:21 to go.
 
From there, the Buckeyes rattled off 10-straight points over the next 2:21. With two-and-a-half minutes left and down 60-59, the Bruins had a pair of great looks from outside but couldn't get a go-ahead three to fall.
 
Ohio State outscored Belmont 20-13 in the fourth quarter behind 58.3 percent (7-of-12) shooting. The Buckeyes were 3-for-4 from long range in the final quarter as the Bruins went 4-for-16 from the field.
 
The two teams were even in paint points, but Ohio State held a slight, 48-45 advantage on the glass.
 
Holmes finished with a team-high 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting and a career-high eight rebounds, while La Chapell scored 13. Jones came up with four steals and Feltner snagged a career-high six boards.
 
Led by McMahon, the Buckeyes had four double-figure scorers. Ohio State starting forward Ajae Petty collected a game-high 12 rebounds and Jaloni Cambridge dished out a game-best six assists.

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?? Postgame with @KendallHolmes9 pic.twitter.com/t2FYulNRDq

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 18, 2024

"This wasn't a surprise for me, I expected to be in this game and have a chance to win. That's a credit to our players. They put us in position to do that."

?? Postgame with HC @BartABrooks pic.twitter.com/WTFXjVlm6I

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) November 18, 2024

Of Note

• Sunday's game was the second matchup against a top-15 team in the Curb in three seasons. Two years ago, Belmont hosted then seventh-ranked Louisville and also had a chance to win it in the final minute.
• The Bruins have hosted three top-25 teams in their NCAA Division I era.
• Holmes registered her 35th career double-figure scoring game.

Up Next
Belmont hits the road next Thursday and travels to top-20 ranked Duke before heading to the Sunshine State Thanksgiving week for the 2024 Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30). Tipoff Thursday from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET. The road game will be broadcast on national TV on the ACC Network.

Ticket Info
Season tickets are on sale now for $199 per seat and include all women's and men's basketball home games.
 
View available seating and purchase your seats.
 
Flex pack plans for the 2024-25 season are also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com/Tickets.
 
How to Follow
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