Bruins Host Rival Murray State for Annual “Red Out” Game

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A rival matchup between longtime conference foes, a primetime spot on regional television, the Missouri Valley Conference's game of the week and Belmont University women's basketball's annual "Red Out" game. Friday evening at the Curb Event Center in the Music City is set to be a must-see affair as the Bruins (15-5, 8-1 MVC) host Murray State (13-5, 6-3 MVC). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.
 
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 3 but was moved up to Friday night after being selected for broadcast on the MVC TV Network.
 
The marquee matchup will be available on Bally Sports South (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Huntsville), Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Indiana Extra and Bally Sports Kansas City, in addition to being simulcast on ESPN+. Brad Wells (play-by-play) and recent MVC John Sanders Spirit of The Valley Award winner Laura Leonard (analyst) will be on the call. The game 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.
 
All fans in attendance will receive a free "Red Out" t-shirt while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• Having won three in a row, Belmont goes for its eighth consecutive home victory. The Bruins are 9-1 inside the Curb this season.
• Last weekend, Belmont improved to a combined 8-0 all-time versus Missouri State and Southern Illinois. The Bruins defeated the two-time Final Four and five-time Sweet 16 participant Lady Bears 66-55 last Friday before outpacing the Salukis 72-64 last Sunday.
• 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.
• Only three teams – No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Ohio State and Missouri – have been able to score more than 70 points against Belmont in 2023-24.
• The Bruins have held 13 of their 20 opponents this season under 65 points and kept nine teams under 60 points.
• Leading the Valley in both scoring (60.6 PPG) and field goal percentage (38.3) defense, Belmont is limiting opponents to 56.8 points per game through nine MVC contests. The Bruins have given up more than 60 points to only four MVC teams.
• 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.
• Head coach Bart Brooks earned his 100th career conference win in only 112 league games on Jan. 6 with the Bruins' lopsided victory over the visiting Braves.
• Two of Belmont's five losses have been against top-15 opponents – then fourth-ranked Stanford and 13th-ranked Ohio State.
• The Bruins moved back into the top 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®, checking in at No. 10 in this week's poll.

 
Last Time Out

• The middle game of its second three-game MVC homestand, Belmont earned a gritty win over Southern Illinois behind junior forward Tessa Miller's career-high 20 points and freshman standout guard Jailyn Banks' 19 points.
• The Bruins' eighth victory in nine outings came against one of the nation's best teams at forcing turnovers. Handling the defensive pressure, Belmont committed just 13 turnovers and allowed only five steals. The Salukis entered the game averaging the 11-most steals per game (12) in the country and 20.8 forced turnovers per contest.
• After a slow start, the Bruins built a 16-point lead in the third quarter and held off Southern Illinois late. Belmont outscored the Salukis 22-10 in the third quarter and made five free throws, courtesy of Banks and redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones, in the closing 90 seconds to seal the triumph.
• Facing the Valley's leader on the offensive glass, the Bruins gave up only four offensive rebounds and zero second-chance points. Meanwhile, Belmont scored 16 points off eight offensive boards and outrebounded Southern Illinois 30-26 overall.
• The Bruins outscored the Salukis 34-24 in the paint and got 14 points off the bench.
• Miller was 9-for-13 from the field and secured a team-best seven rebounds, to go along with three assists and a block. Banks drew 11 fouls, distributed a pair of assists and came up with a steal. Jones scored all nine of her points in the second half on 3-for-3 shooting and finished with a game-high six assists and two steals.
• Belmont shot 50 percent (26-of-52) and went 5-for-12 from beyond the arc.

 
Another Challenging Non-Conference

• Once again playing one of the most strenuous non-conference schedules in the nation, the Bruins went 7-4 with their four losses coming against power conference opponents. Three of Belmont's four losses were away from Nashville as the Bruins went 4-1 at the Curb.
• Six of Belmont's 11 non-conference opponents were from power conferences. Five of the Bruins' first six games of the season were against power conference programs.
• Belmont defeated two power conference teams during the non-conference portion of the schedule, routing Southeastern Conference mainstay Georgia 76-50 in the Bruins' 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.
• Belmont owns five victories over power conference teams in four seasons. In addition to the Lady Bulldogs and the Wildcats, the Bruins have earned wins against Oregon, Ole Miss and Auburn in recent years.
• Belmont 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 15 of 20 games this season and has distributed at least three assists 10 times. She led all Bruins against the nationally-ranked Buckeyes with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting and scored 19 in the win at Kennesaw State where she knocked down a career-high nine free throws on nine attempts. In Belmont's 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 the Bruins' trouncing of Georgia with 17 points and 11 rebounds. With 494 career rebounds, Miller needs just six more to become the first Belmont player 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 has been selected as MVC Freshman of the Week six times this season and was chosen for the conference weekly award three-straight weeks in January (Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23). Reaching double figures in 14 of her first 20 games, Banks is second on the team in scoring (12.6 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.
• Reaching double-figure scoring in six consecutive games (Jan. 6-26) for the first time in her career, Cheesman is averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds over her last seven outings. In the win over Missouri State, Cheesman claimed her third career and second-straight double-double with a game-best 18 points and 12 boards. Among the top three-point shooters in the nation (42.2 percent), Cheesman is shooting 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from deep 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 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 14 of the first 20 games of the season. Averaging a team-best 4.1 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 214 career steals, which ranks seventh in program history. In fact, Jones is second in the Bruins' 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 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 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 figures in four of her first nine 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 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 the Bruins' 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.
• Belmont's schedule also features six NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago (Georgia, Mississippi State, Stanford, Middle Tennessee, Ohio State, Drake).

 
Nothing but NET

• The Bruins face seven opponents ranked inside the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 2 Stanford and No. 15 Ohio State. Belmont is currently 69th in the NET.
• The Racers enter the weekend with the fourth-highest NET ranking in the Valley, sitting just outside the top 100 at No. 105.

 
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 (1,072).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 165-33 (.833) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 105-13 (.890) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 188-38 (.832) 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 161-51 (.759) 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 119-15 (.888) 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 98-13 (.883) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• The Bruins have a home winning percentage of .748 (196-66) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, Belmont is an exceptional 74-12 (.860) inside the Curb.
• In conference play, the Bruins have been even more dominant at home, going 88-11 (.889) since 2012. In seven seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five league games at the Curb with a 54-5 (.915) record.

 
Versus Murray State

• Friday evening will be the 26th all-time meeting between the two teams on the hardwood.
• Belmont owns a commanding 21-4 lead in the series and has won 16 of the last 18 matchups going back to the 2000-01 season.
• The Bruins went 14-1 against Murray State during Belmont's 10-year run in the OVC.
• The Bruins have won five of the last six meetings, but the two teams split games last season in each's first year in the Valley. The Racers defeated Belmont 64-46 in Murray, Kentucky, last January before the Bruins avenged their loss with a 64-54 win over Murray State in Nashville exactly one year ago.
• The last time the Racers visited the Curb and collected a win was Jan. 19, 2021, when Murray State escaped Belmont, 72-66.
• On Feb. 2, 2023, against the Racers, the Bruins won their fifth straight behind Miller's second consecutive double-double. Miller posted 13 points and 15 rebounds as Belmont held Murray State to 29 percent (19-of-66) shooting.

 
About the Racers

• Led by seventh-year head coach Rechelle Turner, the Racers have lost three of their last four after beginning MVC play 5-0.
• Murray State is coming off an 84-74 home loss to Missouri State last Sunday. The Racers defeated Southern Illinois 75-70 last Friday night.
• Murray State went 0-2 in its road trip to Iowa two weeks ago, falling 95-75 at Northern Iowa before losing a 107-98 shootout at Drake.
• The Racers were picked seventh in the Valley's preseason predicted order of finish after finishing eighth in their inaugural season in the MVC last year. Going 7-13 against the Valley, Murray State went 15-16 overall in 2022-23.
• The Racers' strength of schedule ranks 282nd out of 360 Division I programs.
• Fueled by its high-octane offense, Murray State ranks fourth nationally in scoring (89.7 PPG). The Racers lead the nation in bench points per contest (40), are fifth in free throws made per outing (17.3) and 14th in three-pointers made per game (8.9).
• Senior 6-foot-1 center Katelyn Young, a preseason All-MVC First Team pick and returning All-MVC First Team selection, is the second-leading scorer in the Valley averaging 19.0 points per game. She also leads Murray State in rebounding (7.7 RPG).
• Junior 6-foot-1 guard/forward Ava Learn, a Purdue transfer, is averaging 12.3 points off the bench.
• Senior 6-foot forward Hannah McKay is also averaging double-figure scoring (10.4 PPG) and 6.4 rebounds per contest.
• Senior 5-foot-8 guard Bria Sanders-Woods leads the team in assists (4.3 APG).

 
Up Next
The Bruins travel to Missouri State next Friday, Feb. 9 before taking on Southern Illinois next Sunday, Feb. 11 in Carbondale, Illinois.
 
How to Follow
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