Women's Basketball Looks to Bounce Back at Southern Illinois Sunday Afternoon

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Looking to bounce back from only its second Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season, the Belmont University women's basketball team takes on Southern Illinois University Sunday afternoon in Carbondale, Illinois. Tipoff from the Banterra Center is set for 1p.m.
 
The matinee matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play) and Mike Trude (analyst) on the call. Taylor Lawrence will be reporting from the sideline. The road 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.
 
What's Bruin

• After going 9-1 in the first half of MVC play, the Bruins (16-6, 9-2 MVC) faltered Friday night at Missouri State. Belmont succumbed to the Lady Bears' now 13-game home winning streak in a 73-54 affair.
• Missouri State joined No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Stanford and Missouri as the only teams who have been able to score more than 70 points against the Bruins in 2023-24.
• Belmont is going for the regular season sweep of the Salukis (7-14, 2-9 MVC) after defeating Southern Illinois 72-64 in Nashville two weeks ago.
• The Bruins are 5-4 in true road games this season and have gone 6-5 away from the Music City.
• Belmont won five straight to begin league play and also won five in a row near the end of its non-conference schedule. The Bruins have put together at least a five-game winning streak in 12-striahgt seasons dating back to 2012-13.
• Belmont has held opponents under 65 points 14 times this season and kept teams under 60 points on 10 occasions.
• Leading the Valley in both scoring (60.9 PPG) and field goal percentage (38.4) defense, the Bruins are limiting opponents to 58.0 points per game through 11 MVC contests. Belmont has held opponents under 60 points in six of its 11 MVC games.
• The Bruins 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 walloping 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 Belmont's lopsided victory over the visiting Braves.
• Two of the Bruins' six losses have been against top-15 opponents – then fourth-ranked Stanford and 13th-ranked Ohio State.
• Belmont moved up to a season-high ranking of No. 6 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.

 
Last Time Out

• The Bruins struggled mightily from the floor Friday evening inside Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri. Shooting 23.9 percent (11-of-46) from the field, Belmont went 3-for-20 from beyond the arc.
• The Bruins' 11 made field goals were the fewest in a game for Belmont since Nov. 30, 2019, versus top-10 ranked Maryland. In fact, the Bruins hadn't been held under 15 made field goals since Feb. 1, 2020, at Jacksonville State.
• Extending one of the nation's longest active home winning streaks, the Lady Bears shot 47.3 percent and were 5-for-11 from distance.
• Missouri State owned the interior, outrebounding Belmont 42-26 and outscoring the Bruins 34-12 in the paint.
• The Lady Bears turned 16 Belmont turnovers into 17 points and Missouri State got 23 points from its bench.
• The Bruins were unable to take advantage of the Lady Bears' 18 turnovers but drew 23 fouls and converted 29 of 36 free throws (80.6 percent). Belmont's 29 made free throws were the most in a game for the Bruins since March 2, 2019, at Southeast Missouri.
• Freshman standout guard Jailyn Banks set the single-game program record for made free throws as she went 17-for-20 at the foul line and finished with a game-best 19 points. Her 17 made free throws broke a record which had stood since Jan. 26, 2002, when Candice Mitchell (1998-02) sunk 15 foul shots.
• Junior forward Tessa Miller finished with nine points and four rebounds, while sophomore guard Emily La Chapell earned eight points and three boards.
• Missouri State controlled the pace from the opening tip and Belmont never found its offensive rhythm. The Bruins began the game 0-for-6 and were scoreless in the opening four-and-a-half minutes. The Lady Bears jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back as Belmont was 1-for-12 from the field after one quarter of play.

 
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

• 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 16 of her first 22 games, Banks leads the team in scoring (13.0 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.
• Miller has scored in double figures in 16 of 22 games this season and has distributed at least three assists 11 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 seven rebounds in the home win over Murray State on Friday, Feb. 2, Miller surpassed 500 for her career. She is the first Belmont player to record 500 career rebounds since Ellie Harmeyer Strutz (2015-20) and Maddie Wright (2016-20).
• Reaching double-figure scoring in six consecutive games from Jan. 6-26 for the first time in her career, junior forward Kendal Cheesman has recorded multiple blocks in four of her last six outings. In the home win over Missouri State on Jan. 26, 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 (40.0 percent), Cheesman is shooting 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from deep at the Curb Event Center 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 SEC's 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, guard Tuti Jones returned for the opener against the Tigers and has distributed at least four assists in 14 of 22 games this 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 top-15 ranked Ohio State, Jones racked up a season-high five steals. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native has totaled 217 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). With 893 career points, Jones needs just 107 more to become Belmont's 35th 1,000-point scorer. 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 Bruins' jersey on Jan. 4, La Chapell scored a career-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting versus Illinois State. She has reached double figures in five of her first 11 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).

 
Nothing but NET

• Belmont has faced seven opponents ranked inside the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 2 Stanford and No. 11 Ohio State. The Bruins are currently 68th in the NET as the top team from the MVC.
• The Salukis enter Sunday with the fifth-lowest NET ranking in the Valley, sitting just inside the top 200 at No. 185.

 
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 (1,073).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 166-34 (.830) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 106-14 (.883) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 189-39 (.829) against league opposition over the last 12 seasons.

 
When it Matters Most

• In February and March, the Bruins have been at their best. Belmont is a stunning 89-14 (.864) in the two key months since 2016.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins have gone 69-11 (.863) in February and March.

 
Under Coach Brooks

• In his seventh season at the helm, coach Brooks picked up his 150th win in less than 200 career games with Belmont's 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 the Bruins to a 162-52 (.757) 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 120-16 (.882) 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

• Belmont was 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 the Bruins' first year in the conference in 2022-23. Going 23-12 overall and 17-3 in the Valley, Belmont reached its third-straight conference tournament title game and made its 10th national postseason appearance in 11 seasons with an at-large bid to the WNIT.

 
Versus Southern Illinois

• Sunday afternoon will be the sixth all-time meeting between the Bruins and Southern Illinois with Belmont winning all five of the previous matchups.
• Two weeks ago in the Music City, the Bruins won a hard-fought game against the Salukis behind Miller's career-high 20 points and Banks' 19. Belmont built a 16-point lead in the third quarter and held off Southern Illinois late. The Bruins outscored the Salukis 22-10 in the third period and made five free throws in the closing 90 seconds to seal the victory. Shooting 50 percent from the floor, Belmont connected on five of its 12 three-point attempts. Against one of the nation's best teams at forcing turnovers, the Bruins committed only 13 turnovers.
• Belmont also defeated Southern Illinois 70-64 in a gritty MVC Tournament quarterfinal win last March in Moline, Illinois.
• In the Bruins' last visit to Carbondale last February, Belmont came away with an 80-70 triumph. McGuff poured in 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting and the Bruins shot 53 percent as a team and went 7-for-15 from long range. Belmont also earned 30 free-throw attempts and overcame 18 turnovers.

 
About the Salukis

• The Salukis continue to rank among the top teams in the nation in both steals per game and turnovers forced per outing. Southern Illinois leads the MVC and is ninth nationally in steals per game (12.0) and 26th in turnovers forced per game (20.6).
• Following their loss to the Bruins on Jan. 28, the Salukis have dropped home games to Missouri State (62-52) and Murray State (81-74).
• Southern Illinois' last win came on Jan. 21, a 99-60 rout of Evansville at the Banterra Center.
• The Salukis' only other win in the Valley was on Jan. 6 at home versus Valparaiso (75-66).
• Southern Illinois is second in the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (13.1).
• The Salukis were picked eighth in the league's preseason predicted order of finish.
• Junior 5-foot-11 forward Laniah Randle leads Southern Illinois in both scoring (17.9 PPG) and rebounding (8.8 RPG) and is averaging 2.2 steals per game.
• Sophomore 5-foot-9 guard Jaidynn Mason, a returning MVC All-Freshman Team member, is averaging 13.2 points, 3.1 assists and conference-best 2.7 steals per contest.
• Senior 5-foot-4 guard Quierra Love, a MVC All-Defensive Team pick last year, leads the team in assists (4.0 APG) and is averaging 9.6 points and 2.1 steals per outing.

 
Up Next
Belmont returns to Nashville and the Curb next week. The Bruins host Northern Iowa Thursday before welcoming defending MVC Tournament champion Drake Saturday. Tipoff Thursday versus the Panthers is slated for 6:30 p.m.
 
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.