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Blair_Schoenwald_Tuti_Jones_SeniorDay2024
Sam Simpkins/Belmont University
55
Evansville Evans 4-25,2-16 MVC
80
Winner Belmont BEL 22-7,15-3 MVC
Evansville Evans
4-25,2-16 MVC
55
Final
80
Belmont BEL
22-7,15-3 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Evansville Evans 14 10 11 20 55
Belmont BEL 21 19 17 23 80

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Hoops Topples Evansville 80-55 on Senior Day

Bruins Win Fourth Straight, Secure Top Three Seed for MVC Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a game-high 24 points from junior forward Tessa Miller and fellow junior forward Kendal Cheesman's fifth double-double of the season, the Belmont University women's basketball team blew past the University of Evansville 80-55 Sunday afternoon on senior day. With guards Tuti Jones and Blair Schoenwald being honored prior to tipoff, the Bruins (22-7, 14-3 MVC) put together another dominant performance with two 40-point halves.
 
For the second-straight game 10 different Belmont players scored and all 11 available Bruins saw action on the court. Belmont led for nearly the entirety of the afternoon and assisted on 21 of 29 made field goals.
 
The Bruins were relentless in the interior, owning a 41-29 advantage on the glass and outscoring the Purple Aces (4-25, 2-16 MVC) 42-28 in the paint. Getting 19 points off the bench, Belmont scored 16 points on 15 Evansville turnovers.
 
Shooting 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the field, the Bruins made eight three-pointers while holding the Purple Aces to 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from the floor and 4-for-16 from deep. Belmont shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) in the second half.

With their defensive intensity, the Bruins made seven blocks and came up with 10 steals.

The victory guarantees a top three seed for Belmont at the upcoming 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Affectionately known as Hoops in the Heartland, the MVC Tournament will be held inside Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Illinois, Thursday-Sunday, March 14-17. The top four seeds all receive a bye to the quarterfinals, which will be played on Friday, March 15.
 
After an initial 90 seconds without a basket, Cheesman lifted the lid with a three and the Bruins quickly built a 7-2 lead. Evansville hung around throughout the opening quarter and evened the score at 14 with a conventional three-point play from starting forward Nevaeh Thomas. Belmont then scored the next seven points of the quarter, taking a 21-14 lead with Cheesman's second triple. Cheesman had 10 after one quarter of action.

Another Cheesman three-pointer gave the Bruins their first double-digit lead of the contest at 24-14 a little over a minute into the second quarter. Layups from Miller kept Belmont in front by 12 before the Purple Aces trimmed the deficit to seven at 28-21 with 5:22 to go in the first half. The Bruins ended the half on a 12-3 scoring run with a driving layup by sophomore guard Emily La Chapell putting Belmont up 34-21 at the 3:38 mark. Jones drilled a three and Miller completed an old-fashioned three-point play before the end of the half as the Bruins took a commanding, 40-24 lead into the break. Limiting Evansville to 25 percent (4-of-16) shooting in the second quarter, Belmont held the Purple Aces to 31 percent (9-of-29) in the first half. The Bruins shot 45.2 percent (14-of-31) across the inaugural 20 minutes and were 8-for-10 at the free-throw line.
 
Miller scored nine in the second quarter and had 10 points by halftime, while Cheesman posted 13 points and six rebounds in the first half.

Cheesman accounted for six of Belmont's first eight points in the second half before Miller extended the lead to 50-32 with a layup a little over four minutes in. The Bruins outscored Evansville 11-3 in the last seven-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter as a pair of free throws from junior guard Kilyn McGuff gave Belmont its first 20-point lead of the day at 52-32. Sophomore guard Kate Hollifield knocked down a three-pointer in the closing minute of the third to increase the Bruins' lead to 57-35. Belmont scored 23 points in the final quarter.
 
Attempting a fourth-quarter comeback, the Purple Aces began the last period on a 9-3 run. A layup by Evansville starting forward Maggie Hartwig got the Purple Aces within 16 at 60-44 with 7:21 left. However, it would be as close as Evansville would get.
 
Senior Schoenwald hit a three to cap a 13-2 Bruin run that all but put the game out of reach at 73-46 with four minutes to go. Less than a minute later, Jones gave Belmont its largest lead of the afternoon with a triple of her own making it 76-48 with 3:20 remaining. The sequence set up an emotional moment as the two senior day honorees embraced on court following a called 30-second timeout for Schoenwald and Jones to sub out. Sophomore guard Claire Hyde closed out the win with a free throw in the last 35 seconds.
 
The Bruins were a blistering 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field in the fourth quarter and were 3-for-5 from outside. Miller scored 10 fourth-quarter points.

The Purple Aces shot 58.3 percent (7-of-12) in the fourth and went 5-for-6 at the foul line en route to a 20-point quarter.
 
Miller went 10-for-12 from the floor and added five assists and a pair of blocks. Cheesman finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high four assists and three blocks.
 
McGuff nearly earned a double-double with seven points, nine boards and a career-high tying three steals. Jones accounted for eight points, a team-best six assists and two steals.

Hartwig led Evansville with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Purple Aces also got 19 points and eight boards from Thomas as starting guard Kynidi Mason Striverson dished out a game-best eight assists and scored eight. Of Note
  • Belmont finishes the regular season an impressive 13-2 at home. The Bruins last won 13 home games in a single season in 2019-20.
  • Sunday's win was Belmont's 200th at the Curb. The Bruins are 200-67 (.749) all-time at the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
  • Evansville is the fifth team Belmont has swept during the regular season – Indiana State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Murray State are the others.
  • The Bruins have held opponents under 65 points 19 times this season and kept teams under 60 points on 13 occasions.
  • Belmont has held its opponent under 60 points in half of its 18 MVC games.
  • Miller has scored in double figures in 23 of 29 games this season and distributed at least three assists 18 times. She has surpassed 20 points in three of her last five outings.
  • Jones has dished out at least four assists in 20 of 29 games this season.
  • Jones is only seven steals shy of tying the Bruins' NCAA era career steals record, she has accumulated 237 steals in a little over three seasons.
  • Jones is only 22 points away from becoming Belmont's 35th 1,000-point scorer.
 
Up Next
The Bruins close out the regular season on the road next week, traveling to Bradley Thursday and Illinois State Saturday. Tipoff versus the Braves Thursday night is set for 6 p.m. from Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Illinois. Both road games 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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