Women's Hoops Begins MVC Play with Home Victory Over Bradley

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After a nine-day break from game action for Christmas, the Belmont University women's basketball team returned Sunday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center in Nashville and earned a 69-61 win over Bradley University to begin Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bruins (6-6, 1-0 MVC) used an impressive opening quarter and strong first 25 minutes of play before holding off the Braves (6-6, 0-1 MVC) late.
 
Belmont never trailed and led from the first basket onward. In fact, the Bruins held a double-digit lead from the 5:25 mark of the first quarter until the final 10 seconds.
 
Forcing 14 turnovers, Belmont scored 21 points off Bradley's miscues.
 
The Bruins kept the Braves scoreless for the first four-plus minutes of the game and jumped out to a 10-0 start on a three-pointer from graduate guard Kendall Holmes. Freshman guard Sanaa Tripp knocked down the first three of her collegiate career to make it 15-2 six minutes in and Belmont cruised to a 25-6 lead after the first quarter of play.
 
Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks finished off an and-one play at the end of the opening stanza as the Bruins began 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) from the floor and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
 
Belmont held Bradley to 3-for-20 (15 percent) shooting in the first quarter and the Braves began 0-for-9 from distance.
 
Back-to-back triples from senior forward Kendal Cheesman gave the Bruins their first 20-point lead of the afternoon at 38-17 with two minutes to go in the first half. A pair of Banks free throws in the final seconds of the half made it 41-19 at the break.
 
Cooling off to 40 percent (6-of-15) shooting, Belmont still outscored Bradley 16-13 in the second quarter. The Bruins shot 46.9 percent (15-of-32) in the first half and were 7-for-14 from deep, while the Braves were limited to 25 percent (8-of-32) shooting and were just 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) from three-point range.
 
Graduate guard Tuti Jones scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from outside.
 
Senior forward Carmyn Harrison snagged an offensive rebound and laid it in to put Belmont up 45-21 early in the second half. Moments later, junior guard Emily La Chapell connected on a wing three to double the score at 50-25 at the six-minute mark of the third quarter.
 
Despite the Bruins continuing with their first-half momentum, Bradley quickly changed the narrative. The Braves proceeded to go on a 16-4 scoring run over the last four-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter. A jumper by freshman forward Hilary Fuller was Belmont's lone field goal for the remainder of the quarter.
 
After being outscored 22-13 in the third, the Bruins took a 54-41 lead into the final quarter.
 
Bradley shot 45.5 percent (5-of-11) in the third quarter and went 12-for-13 at the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Belmont went 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) from the floor and was 1-for-6 from long range.
 
A steal and layup by Harrison gave the Bruins a 16-point cushion at 60-44 with just under six minutes to go. Undeterred, the Braves proceeded to go on an 8-3 run to get within 11 at 63-52 with a three-pointer from starting guard Soleil Barnes with 4:21 remaining.
 
Free throws from Banks and Cheesman kept Belmont in front by 13 before a Barnes jumper trimmed the deficit to 10 for Bradley at 66-56 with 1:13 left. With less than a minute to go, Banks hit her only three of the contest to seal the victory. The Braves scored five-straight points in the last 40 seconds, but it was too little, too late.
 
Going 3-for-13 (23.1 percent) from the field and 1-for-6 from distance in the fourth, the Bruins were outscored 20-15 in the quarter. Banks accounted for eight of Belmont's 15 fourth-quarter points as Bradley went 6-for-13 (46.2 percent) from the floor and 3-for-8 from deep.
 
The Braves outpaced the Bruins 42-28 in the second half, holding Belmont to 29.6 percent (8-of-27) shooting and 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from outside the arc. Barnes scored 18 second-half points for Bradley on 6-for-8 shooting and the Braves shot 45.8 percent (11-of-24) across the closing 20 minutes. Bradley went 17-for-23 (73.9 percent) at the foul line in the second half.
 
The Bruins shot 39 percent (23-of-59) for the game, including going 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) from three. The Braves finished 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the field and were 5-for-28 (17.9 percent) from outside. Bradley converted 18 of 26 free-throw attempts (69.2 percent), while Belmont went 14-for-25 (56 percent) at the charity stripe.
 
Banks led three Bruins in double figures with 18 points, 11 of which were scored in the second half, on an efficient 5-for-7 shooting. Both Cheesman (10 points, 8 rebounds) and Harrison (9 points, 8 rebounds) nearly recorded double-doubles.
 
The Braves' Barnes led all scorers with 22 points and Bradley also got 11 points and a game-high nine boards from reserve Claire McDougall.

"????'???? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ????."

Postgame comments from HC @BartABrooks and @tutijones3 ??#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/5oyhqh0wPt

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) December 29, 2024

Of Note

• Belmont has won nine-straight conference openers.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an unblemished 8-0 in league openers.
• The Bruins are 199-41 (.829) against conference opponents, including conference tournaments, over 13 seasons.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 115-15 (.885) in conference games in eight seasons.
• Since the 2012-13 season, Belmont is a remarkable 175-35 (.833) in conference play.
• The Bruins are 93-12 (.886) in home conference games since 2012.
• With a pair of steals Sunday, Jones moved into second place all-time in school history. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native already owns the program's NCAA era career steals record with 288 takeaways.

Up Next
Belmont embarks on its first MVC road trip of the season next week, beginning the new year Thursday night at Missouri State before heading to Southern Illinois next Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri, Thursday is set for 6:30 p.m. Both of next week's Valley road games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Ticket Info
Season tickets are on sale 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
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on X, formerly 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.