Bruins Head to Top-Seeded Penn State for WBIT Second Round Monday

 
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Continuing its national postseason run in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), the Belmont University women's basketball team faces top-seeded Penn State Monday evening in Pennsylvania. Tipoff of the WBIT second round game is slated for 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET from the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania.
 
The primetime matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Matt Scalzo (play-by-play) and Maren Walseth (analyst) on the call. The postseason road contest can also be heard on Belmont All-Access on BelmontBruins.com with Dr. Rich Tiner providing play-by-play of the action. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (26-8) have claimed a national postseason victory in three of four seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in both 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back No. 5 seed upsets as a No. 12 seed.
• Belmont has earned a national postseason bid in 11 of 12 seasons.
• The Bruins knocked out Ball State 77-59 in the first-ever WBIT game late Thursday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals were the No. 4 seed in the lower right bracket of the WBIT.
• Belmont has won 26 games in a single season for the first time since 2018-19.
• Only nine other programs have also won 20-plus games for nine-straight seasons – UConn, Stanford, Baylor, South Carolina, Iowa, NC State, Indiana, South Dakota State and Florida Gulf Coast.
• The Bruins are 13-6 away from the Music City and 11-4 in true road games this season.
• Belmont has put together at least a five-game winning streak in 12-straight seasons dating back to 2012-13. The Bruins entered the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals on a seven-game winning streak.
• Bradley, Drake, Northern Iowa, Missouri State, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 5 Stanford and Missouri are the only teams who have been able to score more than 70 points against Belmont in 2023-24.
• The Bruins have held opponents under 65 points 21 times this season and kept teams under 60 points on 14 occasions.
• Leading the Valley in both scoring (62.0 PPG) and field goal percentage (39.2) defense, Belmont limited opponents to 61.0 points per game in MVC action. The Bruins held their opponent under 60 points in nine of their 20 MVC games.
• Including this year's MVC Tournament, Belmont has been a top-two seed at its conference tournament for nine-straight seasons.
• The Bruins finished MVC play 17-3 for the second consecutive season and swept seven teams (Illinois State, Bradley, Evansville, Indiana State, Murray State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois).
• 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 Jan. 12 after walloping Bradley by 42 points (89-47) at home on 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 eight 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 20 mid-major programs, checking in at No. 19 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.

 
Bruins in National Postseason Tournaments

• Belmont reached six of the previous seven NCAA Tournaments, participated in the 2023 and 2014 WNIT and competed in the 2013 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The 2019-20 national postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Prior to this week, the Bruins' last national postseason win came at the 2022 NCAA Tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, where 12th-seeded Belmont outlasted fifth-seeded Oregon in double overtime (73-70) in the first round. The Bruins also reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021 with a 64-59 win over fifth-seeded and 14th-ranked Gonzaga.

 
About the WBIT

• In its first year of existence, the WBIT features a 32-team bracket consisting of four sections of eight teams. Each section of the bracket has four seeded teams. The first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament gained a top seed in the WBIT. However, the University of Miami is not participating in the WBIT and, therefore, James Madison replaced the Hurricanes based on the tournament's replacement policy.
• The WBIT is owned and funded by the NCAA. Combined, the WBIT and the 68-team NCAA Tournament provide 100 postseason NCAA-funded opportunities for Division I women's basketball teams.
• The 2024 WBIT semifinals and championship will be played at historic Hinklle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis.
• Additional WBIT information can be found at NCAA.com/WBIT.

 
Last Time Out

• Belmont shot 50 percent against Ball State Thursday in Indiana, hit 11 three-pointers, assisted on 17 of 26 baskets and held the host Cardinals to 19 total made field goals.
• Dominating the entire second half, the Bruins led for all but 1:48 of the WBIT first round matchup and went up by as much as 24 in the fourth quarter.
• Holding one of the top-35 three-point shooting teams in the nation to only four threes on 19 attempts, Belmont limited Ball State to 37.3 percent shooting overall. The Bruins went 14-for-15 at the free-throw line and scored 19 points off 16 forced turnovers. Belmont went 26-for-52 from the field and 11-for-24 (45.8 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Bruins earned 11 steals, eight of which came in the first half, and used a 24-9 third quarter to build a double-digit lead.
• Both teams scored 30 points in the paint and Belmont owned a slim 32-30 margin on the glass.
• A trio of Bruins reached double figures led by junior guard Kilyn McGuff's season-high tying 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting and senior guard Blair Schoenwald's career-high 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from distance. Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones scored 13 and tallied a game-best five steals. McGuff scored 14 of her points in the second half on 6-for-7 shooting.
• Junior forward Kendal Cheesman secured a game-high tying eight rebounds and distributed a career-best six assists. McGuff added seven boards and both junior forward Tessa Miller and sophomore guard Emily La Chapell finished with eight points.

 
Another Challenging Non-Conference

• Once again playing one of the most strenuous non-conference schedules in the nation, Belmont went 7-4 with its four losses coming against power conference opponents. Three of the Bruins' four losses were away from Nashville as Belmont went 4-1 at the Curb Event Center.
• Six of the Bruins' 11 non-conference opponents were from power conferences. Five of Belmont's first six games of the season were against power conference programs.
• The Bruins defeated two power conference teams during the non-conference portion of the schedule, routing Southeastern Conference mainstay Georgia 76-50 in Belmont's 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.
• The Bruins own five victories over power conference teams in four seasons. In addition to the Lady Bulldogs and the Wildcats, Belmont has earned wins against Oregon, Ole Miss and Auburn in recent years.
• The Bruins 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 McGuff both rimmed off in the final seconds.

 
Player Notes
 
Tessa Miller – All-MVC Second Team
Miller has scored in double figures in 27 of 34 games this season, distributed at least three assists 21 times and surpassed 20 points in four games since mid-February. She leads the team in scoring (14.4 PPG) and is averaging 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Remarkably, Miller is one of only two forwards or centers (Adrianna Smith, Maine) in the nation averaging at least 14 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. In Belmont's victory at Murray State on Feb. 25, Miller scored a career-high 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting. With seven rebounds in the home win over the Racers on Feb. 2, Miller reached 500 for her career. She is the first Bruin to record 500 career rebounds since Ellie Harmeyer Strutz (2015-20) and Maddie Wright (2016-20).
 
Tuti Jones – All-MVC Third Team, MVC All-Defensive Team
The final MVC Player of the Week of the season, Jones recently crossed the 1,000-point mark and broke Belmont's NCAA era career steals record in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals against the University of Illinois Chicago with her second steal early in the third quarter. She has accumulated 255 steals in a little over three seasons of play and is fourth all-time in program history, passing Tara Montgomery (244, 1997-01) as the Bruins' NCAA era career leader. Jones is averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, a team-best 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game this season and has dished out at least four assists in 23 of 34 games. Scoring a season-high 25 points on 7-for-7 three-point shooting to close out the regular season, Jones hit a deep game-winning three in the waning seconds at Illinois State on March 9. In the second quarter against the Redbirds on her second triple, Jones became Belmont's 35th 1,000-point scorer. Jones has scored in double figures in four of her last five games.
 
Kendal Cheesman – All-MVC Third Team
Owning a team-high five double-doubles on the year, Cheesman is among the top 25 three-point shooters in the country. Shooting at a 41.1 percent (78-of-184) clip from beyond the arc this season, Cheesman has scored in double figures 20 times and recorded multiple blocks on 12 occasions. She is averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per contest. In her first career start, Cheesman erupted for a career-high 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting from outside and collected nine boards as the Bruins routed Georgia by 26 at home. Her nine threes 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. Cheesman became the first player since at least 2009-10 to make nine triples and secure nine rebounds against a power conference team. For her performance against the Lady Bulldogs, Cheesman was selected as Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week.
 
Jailyn Banks – MVC Freshman of the Year, All-MVC Third Team, MVC All-Freshman Team
Named MVC Freshman of the Week six times during the regular season and chosen for the weekly conference award three-straight weeks in January, Banks reached double figures in 17 of her first 24 collegiate games. Second on the team in scoring (12.7 PPG), Banks is one of only 10 freshmen in the nation averaging at least 12.5 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Banks tallied 23 points in the season opener at SEC member Missouri, the fourth-most by any true freshman this season making her debut. Already etching her name in Belmont's record book, Banks set the program record for made free throws in a game on Feb. 9 at Missouri State by going 17-for-20 at the foul line. She is averaging 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per outing to go along with her scoring.
 
Kilyn McGuff
Going up against her father's program, McGuff secured a team-high six rebounds versus the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. She has scored in double figures in 11 games 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 against nearby rival Lipscomb, McGuff had a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with 13 points.
 
Emily La Chapell – MVC All-Newcomer Team
Making her Bruin debut in the MVC opener on Dec. 30 versus UIC, La Chapell has scored in double figures in nine of her first 23 games at Belmont. In just her second game donning the Bruins jersey, La Chapell scored a career-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting against Illinois State at the Curb. After spending her freshman year at the BIG EAST Conference's Marquette, La Chapell is averaging 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists for Belmont. In three consecutive wins from Feb. 22-March 1, La Chapell reached double figures. She was a BIG EAST All-Freshman Team pick last year.
 
Among the Toughest Schedules in the Nation

• A total of 14 opponents on the Bruins' schedule have a winning record, while 10 adversaries have won 20 or more games and 13 have earned a national postseason tournament berth.
• Belmont's schedule features four NCAA Tournament teams (Drake, Ohio State, Middle Tennessee, Stanford).
• The Bruins' non-conference strength of schedule is currently 39th in the nation, while Belmont's 2023-24 schedule as a whole is among the top 110 most difficult out of 360 total teams.

 
Nothing but NET

• The Bruins have faced eight opponents ranked inside the top 100 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 4 Stanford and No. 9 Ohio State. Belmont is 78th in the NET as the second-highest ranked team from the MVC.
• The Lady Lions enter Monday inside the top 30 of the NET at No. 27. Penn State will be the third-highest ranked team in the NET the Bruins have faced this season.

 
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 10 teams in the nation to have won 20 or more games for nine-straight seasons.
• The Bruins (11) are one of only five programs to have won more than 10 combined conference championships (regular season and tournament) over the last eight seasons. UConn (16), Florida Gulf Coast (14), South Carolina (11) and Princeton (10) are the other four.
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20-plus games for nine 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 eight of the last nine seasons.
• Belmont has won the 17th-most games in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,083).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 174-35 (.833) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 114-15 (.884) in conference action in seven seasons and has never lost more than three league games in a single season.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 198-41 (.828) 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 99-16 (.861) in the two key months since 2016.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins have gone 79-13 (.859) 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 172-54 (.761) 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 129-18 (.878) against conference opponents, including conference tournament games. He ranks among the top 10 of active Division I head coaches in terms of winning percentage.

 
Bruins in the Valley

• Belmont captured a regular season championship in the Bruins' first year in the MVC in 2022-23. Going 23-12 overall and 17-3 in the Valley, Belmont reached its third-straight conference tournament title game and earned its 10th national postseason berth in 11 seasons with an at-large bid to the WNIT.

 
Against the B1G

• The Bruins are 3-16 all-time versus current Big Ten members with triumphs over Northwestern, Indiana and Nebraska.
• In addition to Belmont's neutral-site win over the Wildcats during Thanksgiving week, the Bruins defeated the Hoosiers 58-54 on Dec. 4, 2012, in Indiana. During Belmont's 1975-76 national postseason run, the Bruins toppled the Huskers 77-52 in the 1976 National Women's Invitational Tournament (NWIT).
• Belmont's last trip to a Big Ten school was Dec. 22 when the Bruins visited the nationally-ranked Buckeyes.

 
Versus Penn State

• Monday evening will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

 
About the Lady Lions

• Led by fifth-year head coach Carolyn Kieger, the Lady Lions (20-12) went 9-9 in the Big Ten and tied for sixth in the conference. Earning the No. 7 seed for the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State fell to third-ranked Iowa in the quarterfinals.
• The Lady Lions ousted George Mason 84-80 in overtime Thursday evening in the opening round of the WBIT. Penn State overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit.
• The Lady Lions went 9-2 in non-conference play, dropping their lone game against a nationally-ranked opponent with a narrow, 71-70 loss in the Bahamas to top-10 USC in November.
• Penn State and Belmont had two common opponents during the regular season, Northwestern and Ohio State. The Lady Lions swept the Wildcats by an average of 25.5 points and took the Buckeyes to overtime on the road before falling 94-84. At home versus Ohio State, Penn State was defeated 82-69.
• The Lady Lions own one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. Penn State ranks sixth nationally in both scoring (83.6 PPG) and shooting (49 percent) and is among the top 20 teams in three-point percentage (37.4) and made threes per game (8.7).
• Graduate 6-foot guard Ashley Owusu, an All-Big Ten Second Team selection by the league's head coaches, leads the team in both scoring (17.8 PPG) and assists (3.9 APG).
• Fifth-year 5-foot-11 guard Makenna Marisa, an All-Big Ten Second Team pick by the conference's media members, is averaging 13.1 points and 2.6 assists per outing.
• Sophomore 5-foot-7 guard Shay Ciezki, an All-Big Ten honorable mention performer, is averaging 12.1 points per contest.
• Redshirt junior 5-foot-10 guard Leilani Kapinus, who was named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, is averaging a team-best 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 2.1 steals to go along with 11.4 points per game.

 
Up Next
Monday's winner will advance to the WBIT quarterfinals Thursday against second-seeded Mississippi State. The Bulldogs dismissed third-seeded TCU 68-61 Sunday afternoon in Starkville, Mississippi.
 
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.