Bruins Return to the Curb, Host Northern Iowa Thursday Night

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Returning to the Music City, the Belmont University women's basketball team hosts Northern Iowa Thursday night for its annual Play4Kay "Pink Game". Tipoff from the Curb Event Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin guard Hannah Harmeyer ('19) (analyst) on the call. 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.
 
Belmont will be donning "Play For A Cure" warmup t-shirts prior to the game and pink t-shirts will also be given away to all fans in attendance.
 
Every free throw the Bruins make throughout the month of February benefits the Kay Yow Cancer Fund through the Play4Kay Pledge It Playoff. To learn more about Play4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, visit KayYow.com. To make a pledge on Belmont's free throws during the month or to donate, visit the Bruins' Play4Kay page. All proceeds benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (17-6, 10-2 MVC) have won eight consecutive games at the Curb and are 10-1 at home this season.
• Belmont is seeking its second regular season sweep of the year after earning a gritty, 72-67 road win over the Panthers (9-12, 8-4 MVC) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 21.
• On Super Bowl Sunday, the Bruins defeated Southern Illinois 65-55 in Carbondale, Illinois, for Belmont's second victory against the Salukis in two weeks.
• Only Missouri State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Stanford and Missouri have been able to score more than 70 points against the Bruins in 2023-24.
• Belmont won five straight to begin Missouri Valley Conference 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 15 times this season and kept teams under 60 points on 11 occasions.
• Leading the Valley in both scoring (60.6 PPG) and field goal percentage (38.2) defense, the Bruins are limiting opponents to 57.8 points per game through 12 MVC contests. Belmont has held its opponent under 60 points in seven of 12 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 continues to be ranked among the top 10 mid-major programs and is No. 10 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.

 
Last Time Out

• The Bruins bounced back from an uncharacteristic 73-54 setback at Missouri State last Friday night with a hard-fought win at Southern Illinois this past Sunday afternoon.
• Completing the regular season sweep of the Salukis, Belmont got off to a red-hot start before going a perfect 17-for-17 at the free-throw line in the second half.
• Behind four double-figure scorers, the Bruins overcame a season-high 27 turnovers.
• Belmont led for all but the scoreless opening 18 seconds and raced out to a 13-poipnt lead in the first quarter. The Bruins began 7-for-7 from the floor and 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
• Holding Southern Illinois to 34.9 percent shooting, Belmont scored 16 second-chance points on 12 offensive boards.
• Despite being outscored 32-20 in the paint, the Bruins outrebounded the Salukis 37-35.
• Southern Illinois scored 20 points off Belmont's 27 offensive miscues and used a strong second quarter to climb back into the game.
• The Bruins assisted on 16 of their 20 made field goals and knocked down eight three-pointers with redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones, junior guard Kilyn McGuff and junior forward Kendal Cheesman accounting for seven of Belmont's made baskets from deep.
• All of the Bruins' scoring came from Belmont's starters led by McGuff's team-high 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Going 6-for-6 at the foul line, McGuff scored 13 second-half points and made a pair of key plays in crucial moments.
• McGuff added a trio of rebounds, a block and a steal, while freshman standout guard Jailyn Banks finished with 15 points on 6-for-6 free-throw shooting, a team-high tying five assists, five boards and two steals.
• Junior forward Tessa Miller notched 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
• Jones scored 11 points with a trio of threes, six boards, five assists and a pair of steals.
• Cheesman also collected six rebounds and posted eight points, two assists and a steal.

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 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 17 of her first 23 games, Banks leads the team in scoring (13.1 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. Already etching her name in the Bruins' record book, Banks set the program record for made free throws in a game on Feb. 9 at Missouri State. Going 17-for-20 at the foul line against the Lady Bears, Banks broke Belmont's single-game made free throws record of 15, which had been held by Candice Mitchell (1998-02) since Jan. 26, 2002.
• Miller has scored in double figures in 17 of 23 games this season and has distributed at least three assists 12 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, Cheesman has recorded multiple blocks in eight outings this season. 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 (39.7 percent), Cheesman is shooting 44.8 percent (26-of-58) 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 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, Jones returned for the opener against the Tigers and has distributed at least four assists in 15 of 23 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 219 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 904 career points, Jones needs just 96 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 nine 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, 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 five of her first 12 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 non-conference strength of schedule is currently 30th in the nation, while the Bruins' 2023-24 schedule as a whole is 90th-most difficult among 360 teams.
• Also playing one of the hardest schedules in the country, Northern Iowa's non-conference strength of schedule is currently fourth-best nationally and the Panthers' schedule in total is 19th-most difficult.

Nothing but NET

• Belmont has faced six opponents ranked inside the top 75 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 2 Stanford and No. 8 Ohio State. The Bruins are currently 70th in the NET as the top team from the MVC.
• Northern Iowa enters Thursday with the fourth-highest NET ranking in the Valley, sitting just outside the top 100 at No. 107.

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 (1,074).

Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 167-34 (.831) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 107-14 (.884) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 190-39 (.830) 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 90-14 (.865) in the two key months since 2016.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins have gone 70-11 (.864) 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 163-52 (.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 121-16 (.883) 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.

Bruins at Home

• The Bruins are 99-13 (.884) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .749 (197-66) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 75-12 (.862) inside the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 89-11 (.890) since 2012. In seven seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five league games at the Curb with a 55-5 (.917) record.

Versus Northern Iowa

• Thursday evening will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs with the Bruins winning the first four matchups.
• In January, Belmont led for all but 1:42 of play against the Panthers on the road. The Bruins held Northern Iowa to 39.4 percent shooting, including 6-for-22 from distance, and committed only eight turnovers. Belmont scored 16 points off nine offensive boards and doled out seven blocks.
• In the first meeting between the two teams this year, the Bruins connected on nine three-pointers and had a trio of double-figure scorers. Cheesman registered her second career double-double with a game-best 19 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high four blocks and three assists. McGuff went 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-6 from outside for 16 points and secured seven boards. Banks poured in 13 points, dished out a career-high tying six assists and collected six rebounds. Miller finished with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting, nine boards, two assists, a block and a steal.
• Last February, Belmont defeated the Panthers 82-77 in Nashville. The Bruins knocked down 11 threes and got a game-best 20 points from McGuff.
• At the 2023 MVC Tournament in Moline, Illinois, last March, second-seeded Belmont clinched a spot in the Hoops in the Heartland championship game with another narrow, 69-62 win over third-seeded Northern Iowa. The triumph capped the Bruins' incredible 16-game winning streak, which was one of the longest in the nation at the time.
• McGuff has reached double figures in the first four games against the Panthers, averaging 15.3 points.

About the Panthers

• Led by Tanya Warren, the longest-tenured active head coach in the MVC in her 17th season, Northern Iowa has won four of its last five.
• Fresh off a three-game homestand, the Panthers went 2-0 last weekend with wins over Bradley (96-61) and Illinois State (74-47). Northern Iowa fell 79-71 to Drake at home on Feb. 3.
• After winning their season opener against a very good Green Bay squad, the Panthers lost nine straight. Eight of Northern Iowa's nine wins on the season have been in MVC play.
• The Panthers were voted as the Valley preseason favorites after garnering 33 first-place votes. Northern Iowa went 16-4 in the MVC last season and 23-10 overall, reaching the second round of the WNIT after receiving an at-large bid and hosting in the first round.
• Junior 6-foot-1 forward Grace Boffeli, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, was named preseason MVC Player of the Year and preseason All-MVC First Team as a returning All-MVC First Team performer. In 15 games this season, she is averaging a team-leading 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
• Junior 5-foot-6 guard Maya McDermott, a preseason All-MVC First Team pick after earning second-team honors last year, leads the Panthers in assists (3.5 APG) and is second in scoring (14.5 PPG).
• Junior 5-foot-10 guard Emerson Green is also averaging double figures (10.0 PPG) but has not played in the last two games.

 
Up Next
Belmont welcomes defending MVC Tournament champion Drake to the Curb Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN available on ESPN+ with Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Kelly Burke (analyst) on the call.

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.