Women's Basketball Welcomes Drake in Pivotal Matchup Saturday

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference standings meet for the second time this year Saturday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center in the Music City as the Belmont University women's basketball team hosts Drake University. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
 
The marquee matchup will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN available on ESPN+ with Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Kelly Burke (analyst) 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.
 
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.
 
Free Belmont rope hats will be available to all fans in attendance of Saturday's highly-anticipated game while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (18-6, 11-2 MVC) have won nine consecutive games at the Curb and are 11-1 at home this season.
• Belmont earned its second regular season sweep of the year Thursday night in Nashville with an inspired offensive performance versus Northern Iowa. In a total team effort, the Bruins defeated the Panthers 84-72 after knocking down a season-high 15 three-pointers and tallying a season-best 23 assists on 29 made field goals.
• Belmont is looking to avenge one of only two MVC losses after the Bulldogs topped the Bruins 69-65 on Jan. 19 in Des Moines, Iowa.
• Northern Iowa joined Missouri State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Stanford and Missouri as the only teams who have been able to score more than 70 points against Belmont in 2023-24.
• The Bruins won five straight to begin Missouri Valley Conference play and also won five in a row near the end of their non-conference schedule. Belmont has put together at least a five-game winning streak in 12-striahgt seasons dating back to 2012-13.
• The Bruins have held opponents under 65 points 15 times this season and kept teams under 60 points on 11 occasions.
• Leading the Valley in both scoring (61.1 PPG) and field goal percentage (38.6) defense, Belmont is limiting opponents to 58.8 points per game through 13 MVC contests. The Bruins have held their opponent under 60 points in seven of 13 MVC games.
• 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 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 the Bruins' lopsided victory over the visiting Braves.
• Two of Belmont's six losses have been against top-15 opponents – then fourth-ranked Stanford and 13th-ranked Ohio State.
• The Bruins continue to be ranked among the top 10 mid-major programs and are No. 10 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.

Last Time Out

• Led by four double-figure scorers, Belmont shot 50.9 percent from the field and went 15-for-30 from beyond the arc Thursday against the Panthers.
• Assisting on all but six of their baskets, the Bruins overcame a 39-26 deficit on the boards and a 26-22 deficit in points in the paint.
• Only a game removed from committing a season-high 27 turnovers and getting zero points from its reserves, Belmont limited its turnovers to 10 and got 25 points off the bench.
• Northern Iowa led by six early, but a 13-2 scoring run to end the first quarter shifted the momentum and the Bruins never looked back. Belmont scored 29 points in the third quarter to pull away and led by as much as 20. The Bruins held the lead for over 33 minutes of the game.
• Belmont came up with 10 steals, made six blocks and scored 16 points off 18 Panther turnovers.
• Junior forward Tessa Miller was on triple-double watch as she nearly recorded a double-double with 18 points, a career-high nine assists, a team-best six rebounds and two blocks.
• Fellow junior forward Kendal Cheesman scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting from distance and added four boards, two blocks and an assist.
• Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones put together an impressive stat line of 15 points, six assists, three steals and two rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Emily La Chapell earned 13 points with a trio of three-pointers off the bench.

 
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 freshman standout guard Jailyn 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 18 of 24 games this season and has distributed at least three assists 13 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).
• 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 24 games, Banks is second on the team in scoring (12.7 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.
• 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 five of her last eight 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 (42.4 percent), Cheesman is shooting 49.3 percent (33-of-67) 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 16 of 24 games this season. Averaging a team-best 4.0 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 222 career steals, which ranks sixth in program history. In fact, Jones is second in the Bruins' NCAA era in steals as she ranks behind only Tara Montgomery (244). With 919 career points, Jones needs just 81 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, La Chapell scored a career-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting versus Illinois State. She has reached double figures in six of her first 13 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 three 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 the 99th-most difficult among 360 teams.
• Drake's non-conference strength of schedule is currently 49th-best nationally and the Bulldogs' schedule in total is ranked 100th-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.
• Drake enters the weekend with the second-highest NET ranking in the Valley, sitting at No. 72.

 
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 (1,075).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 168-34 (.832) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 108-14 (.885) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 191-39 (.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 91-14 (.867) in the two key months since 2016.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins have gone 71-11 (.866) 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 164-52 (.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 122-16 (.884) 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 100-13 (.885) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .750 (198-66) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 76-12 (.864) inside the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 90-11 (.891) since 2012. In seven seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five league games at the Curb with a 56-5 (.918) record.

 
Versus Drake

• Saturday afternoon will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs with the Bulldogs winning three of the first four matchups.
• In the Bruins' trip to Drake in January, Belmont held a five-point lead with six minutes left and was up by three with 4:21 to go. In fact, the Bulldogs led for only 5:12 of the game. However, Drake outscored the Bruins 23-13 in the fourth quarter and ended the contest on a 12-3 run. Belmont was scoreless for the final 4:21.
• Cheesman (18), Jones (15), Banks (12) and McGuff (11) all reached double figures in the January meeting. The Bruins went 10-for-25 from three-point range and held the Bulldogs to 39.1 percent shooting, including 26.7 percent from behind the arc.
• The two teams played for the 2023 MVC Tournament title in Moline, Illinois, where Drake earned an 89-71 win for the championship and the Valley's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
• The Bulldogs' home win over Belmont earlier this year snapped the Bruins' 19-game MVC winning streak. Drake's win in last year's MVC Tournament championship game snapped Belmont's 16-game winning streak, which was one of the longest in the nation at the time.
• The Bruins split games with the Bulldogs during the regular season in 2022-23, including defeating Drake 83-77 in Nashville on Feb. 25, 2023. Belmont limited the Bulldogs to 37.3 percent shooting in that contest and Cheesman scored 13 points with three triples.

 
About the Bulldogs

• Winners of four straight, Drake (19-5, 12-1 MVC) owns a single-game lead in the MVC.
• The Bulldogs' lone loss in league play came at Illinois State (79-70) on Jan. 27.
• Drake is 8-3 on the road this season.
• The Bulldogs own one of the top offenses in the nation and lead the MVC in several statistical categories. Drake ranks sixth nationally in free-throw percentage (79.0), seventh in assists per game (19.4), 11th in field goal percentage (48.2), 14th in scoring offense (81.0 PPG), 20th in defensive rebounds per game (29.3), 22nd in rebounding margin (+7.8), 23rd in blocks per game (4.9) and 25th in made free throws per game (15.2).
• Junior 5-foot-8 guard Katie Dinnebier is one of the top players in the MVC and leads the conference in scoring (19.2 PPG), assists (6.5 APG) and made free throws (141).
• Graduate 6-foot forward Grace Berg is averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per outing.
• Junior 6-foot-3 forward Anna Miller, the reigning MVC Defensive and Sixth Player of the Year, leads the Valley in rebounding (9.4 RPG), blocks (2.7 BPG) and double-doubles (9). She is also averaging 12.1 points per contest.
• Redshirt senior 5-foot-11 guard Taylor McAulay is also averaging double-figure scoring (10.0 PPG) and 1.9 steals per game.

 
Up Next
The Bruins travel to Valparaiso next Thursday and rival Murray State next Sunday, Feb. 25. Tipoff Thursday from the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana, is scheduled for 6 p.m. The MVC road game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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.