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Tessa_Miller_vs_Drake2024
Zachary Timmerman
77
Winner Drake DRA 20-5,13-1 MVC
71
Belmont BEL 18-7,11-3 MVC
Winner
Drake DRA
20-5,13-1 MVC
77
Final
71
Belmont BEL
18-7,11-3 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Drake DRA 22 20 18 17 77
Belmont BEL 22 18 18 13 71

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Miller's Career Day Not Enough as Drake Escapes the Curb, 77-71

Junior Forward Notches Sixth Career Double-Double with Career-High 24 Points and 12 Rebounds

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Snapping the Belmont University women's basketball team's nine-game home winning streak, defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion and current league leader Drake University earned a 77-71 win over the Bruins Saturday inside the Curb Event Center in Nashville. Despite junior forward Tessa Miller's career day, the visiting Bulldogs (20-5, 13-1 MVC) used a 16-8 start to the fourth quarter to hand Belmont (18-7, 11-3 MVC) only its third MVC loss of the season.
 
The Bruins entered the game 11-1 at home in 2023-24.
 
Miller scored a career-high 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds and distributed five assists. However, Belmont was outscored 17-13 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
 
Drake got off to a strong start, but the Bruins recovered and led by as much as eight in the second quarter. A convincing Bulldog scoring run midway through the second quarter shifted the momentum to the visitors and Drake led for all but 15 seconds the rest of the way.
 
Shooting 51.6 percent (32-of-62) from the field, the Bulldogs assisted on 24 of their 32 baskets.
 
Belmont kept Drake to 8-for-25 (32 percent) from distance, but the Bulldogs outrebounded the Bruins 38-30 and outscored the hosts 46-34 in the paint. Drake converted 16 Belmont turnovers into 18 points.
 
The Bruins shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the floor and went 10-for-27 (37 percent) from beyond the arc. For the second consecutive outing, Belmont tallied over 20 assists as the Bruins assisted on 22 of their 28 made field goals.
 
Belmont left seven points at the free-throw line, going 5-for-12.

With the Bruins scoreless for the opening three-and-a-half minutes, the Bulldogs raced out to a 9-0 lead. A three-pointer from junior guard Kilyn McGuff took the lid off the rim and Belmont settled in. The Bruins ended the first quarter on a 12-3 run with a three by senior guard Blair Schoenwald in the closing seconds evening the score at 22. Both teams shot better than 55 percent in the first stanza as Belmont was 8-for-14 and Drake 9-for-16.

From the 3:29 mark of the first quarter to the 7:40 mark of the second quarter, the Bruins had their most impressive stretch of play. Belmont went on a 22-5 run capped by a triple from junior forward Kendal Cheesman, which put the Bruins up 32-24. From there, the Bulldogs scored 14-straight points over 3:21. Three-pointers by reserve forward Ashley Iiams ignited and ended Drake's 14-0 run as the Bulldogs took a 38-32 lead with 4:19 to go in the half.

Belmont ended the half on an 8-4 run, getting within two at the break on a corner three from sophomore guard Emily La Chapell. The Bruins connected on four of their five three-point attempts in the second quarter and were 7-for-12 from long range at halftime. Trailing 42-40, Belmont shot 50 percent in the first half.
 
After shooting 54.5 percent (18-of-33) in the first half, Drake began the third quarter on an 8-2 run. Miller knotted the score up at 42-42 on an offensive rebound and putback within the first minute of the second half, before the Bulldogs scored eight consecutive points. A layup by Drake's Ava Hawthorne made it 50-42.

La Chapell hit a jumper to get the Bruins within three a little over the midway point of the third quarter and a Miller layup cut the Bulldogs' lead to two with just over a minute left in the period. Sparked by Schoenwald's third three of the day, Belmont outscored Drake 12-6 in the last six minutes of the third. After both squads scored 18 points in the third quarter, the Bulldogs held a slim, 60-58 advantage heading into the fourth. Like the first quarter, Drake went 9-for-16 from the field in the third.

Scoreless for the first 3:41 of the final quarter, the Bruins would get no closer than three for the remainder of the game. A pullup jumper from redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones kept Belmont within three at 65-62 with 5:14 to go. Enduring a nearly two-minute scoring drought, the Bruins trailed by eight at 70-62 before layups by Miller kept Belmont within two possessions. Miller had a chance at a conventional three-point play with 2:22 remaining and the Bruins down four at 70-66, but the Bulldogs' Grace Berg hit a three to make it a seven-point affair with two minutes left.

Three-straight Drake free throws pushed the Bulldogs' lead to their largest of the day at 76-66 with only 34 seconds on the clock. Schoenwald made her fourth three-pointer and Miller got another layup through contact, but it was too little too late.

Belmont went 3-for-15 from distance in the second half as Drake shot 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from the floor. Ten of the Bruins' 16 turnovers were committed in the second half.
 
Miller scored 16 of her 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting across the last 20 minutes of action, adding a block and a steal and accounting for 10 of her 12 rebounds.
 
Cheesman finished with 13 points and five boards, while Schoenwald had 12 points and three assists in her fourth career start. Junior forward Carmyn Harrison dished out a career-best five assists.

Starting forward Anna Miller led the Bulldogs with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Drake also got a double-double from starting guard Katie Dinnebier, who totaled 15 points and a game-high 10 assists. Berg poured in 15 points for the Bulldogs and starting forward Courtney Becker scored 11 and collected six boards.   Of Note
  • Drake improves to 4-1 all-time versus Belmont.
  • The loss is only the Bruins' sixth at home in conference play under head coach Bart Brooks (56-6).
  • The Bulldogs join Northern Iowa, Missouri State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Stanford and Missouri as the only teams who have scored more than 70 points against Belmont this season.
  • Miller recorded her second double-double of the season and sixth of her career.
  • Miller has reached double figures in 19 of 25 games this season and notched at least three assists on 14 occasions.
Up Next
The Bruins travel to Valparaiso 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 matchup 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.
 
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