Bruins Claim First-Ever Win at Drake, Defeat Defending MVC Champions 80-65

DES MOINES, Iowa – Behind a season-best performance from graduate guard Tuti Jones and relentless execution on both sides of the ball, the Belmont University women's basketball team earned an 80-65 triumph at defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake Thursday evening inside the Knapp Center. Improving to 5-1 in MVC play, the Bruins (10-7) picked up their first-ever victory in Des Moines, Iowa, and handed the conference-leading Bulldogs (11-6, 5-1 MVC) their first Valley loss in nearly a year.
 
Snapping Drake's 19-game winning streak against MVC teams, Belmont handed the Bulldogs their first conference home loss since Jan. 11, 2023.
 
The Bruins scored a season-high 44 points in the first half, trailed for only 3:12 of the game and led by as much as 17 in the second half. Belmont put up 22 points in each of the first three quarters and made a season-high 30 field goals.
 
Coming up with a season-high tying 14 steals and forcing 17 Drake turnovers, the Bruins were hyper-active early on defense and scored 18 points off the Bulldogs' offensive miscues. Belmont was also determined on the offensive glass, outscoring Drake 14-2 on second-chance points courtesy of nine offensive rebounds.

The Bruins held the Bulldogs, who entered the night ranked sixth in the nation in made threes per game (10.2), to 6-for-25 (24 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. Just as impressively, Belmont outrebounded Drake 33-32. Entering the game, the Bulldogs ranked 14th nationally in average rebounding margin (10.4).
 
For the ninth time this season four Bruins reached double figures, and eight different players recorded at least a steal led by Jones' four takeaways.
 
Jones scored a season-high 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, while senior forward Carmyn Harrison nearly notched a double-double with nine points and a game-best eight rebounds. Five of Harrison's boards were on the offensive glass.

A triple from fellow senior forward Kendal Cheesman gave Belmont an early 6-2 lead before Harrison finished at the rim to make it 10-8 at the midway point of the first quarter. A five-point spurt by Drake put the hosts up 13-10 before the Bruins went on a 9-4 scoring run, pushing in front 19-17 on a three-pointer from graduate guard Kendall Holmes.
 
Holmes scored Belmont's last nine points of the opening quarter, but the Bulldogs held a slight, 23-22 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
 
Drake shot 56.3 percent (9-of-16) in the first quarter and was 4-for-8 from downtown. However, the Bruins would limit the Bulldogs to 2-for-17 shooting from outside for the remainder of the contest.
 
Baskets from sophomore guard Jailyn Banks and Cheesman quickly gave the lead back to Belmont in the first 90 seconds of the second quarter. A Holmes layup preceded eight-straight Bruin points by Jones, who capped an 18-7 Belmont run to start the quarter with a deep jumper. Jones' back-to-back threes and jumper gave the Bruins a 10-point, 40-30 lead with four minutes to go in the half.
 
Completing a spectacular stretch of play and 14-2 Belmont run, Banks put the Bruins up 12 at 42-30 with 2:14 left in the half. It was Belmont's largest lead of the first half.
 
The Bruins took an eight-point, 44-36 lead into the break.
 
Belmont went 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from the field in the second stanza, including 2-for-3 from deep, and held Drake to 33.3 percent (4-of-12) shooting.
 
The Bruins shot 51.5 percent (17-of-33) across the opening 20 minutes of play and were 6-for-16 (37.5 percent) from distance. Going 1-for-8 from outside in the second quarter, the Bulldogs shot 46.4 percent (13-of-28) in the first half.
 
Holmes scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half on 4-for-7 shooting.
 
Another three-pointer from Jones put Belmont back up by 12 at 52-40 a little over three minutes into the second half. After the third-quarter media timeout, Cheesman splashed in a three to give the Bruins a 13-point advantage at 57-44.
 
After Drake made a push and got back within eight at 57-49 with 3:32 left in the third, Belmont imposed its will and closed the quarter on a 9-0 run. A deep wing triple by Jones in the final seconds of the quarter gave the Bruins their largest lead of the evening at 66-49 heading into the fourth.
 
Jones scored 10 of Belmont's 22 points in the third quarter as the Bruins went 8-for-16 from the field and 4-for-7 from long range. Belmont kept the Bulldogs without a three-pointer the entire quarter and Drake went 6-for-16 (37.5 percent) from the floor.
 
Not allowing the Bulldogs to gain any momentum, the Bruins led by no fewer than 13 for the entirety of the fourth quarter. A layup from Holmes and a jumper by Cheesman kept Belmont in front by 17 with less than five minutes remaining. Fittingly, Jones scored the final bucket of the game with a layup in the last 40 seconds.
 
Drake did outscore the Bruins 16-14 in the fourth on 6-for-10 shooting but it was too little, too late.
 
Jones tallied 14 points in the second half and Belmont limited the Bulldogs to 1-for-9 shooting from three-point range across the second 20 minutes of action.
 
The Bruins finished 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the field and connected on 10 of their 26 three-point attempts (38.5 percent). Drake shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) for the game.
 
Cheesman totaled 15 points and five boards, while Banks scored 12 and distributed a team-high four assists.
 
Both starting guard Katie Dinnebier and starting forward Anna Miller scored 21 points for the Bulldogs. Dinnebier added a game-high seven assists and a team-best seven rebounds.

?? Hear what @tutijones3 and HC @BartABrooks had to say following the Bruins' 80-65 victory at @ValleyHoops leader Drake ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/MmSS8SSPri

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) January 17, 2025

Of Note

• Belmont improves to 2-4 all-time versus Drake.
• The Bruins' other win over the Bulldogs took place on Feb. 25, 2023, in Nashville (83-77).
• The win is Belmont's fourth true road victory of the season.
• Jones has scored in double figures in seven of her last eight outings.
• Banks has reached double figures in 12 of 17 games this season, including the last eight.

Up Next
The Bruins head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a Saturday afternoon showdown at Northern Iowa. Tipoff from the McLeod Center is set for 2 p.m. with the MVC road matchup broadcast on ESPN+. Next weekend, Jan. 24-26, Belmont hosts Evansville Friday night and Indiana State Sunday afternoon.

Ticket Info
Season tickets are on sale for $199 per seat and include all women's and men's basketball home games. Flex pack plans for the 2024-25 season, along with single-game tickets, are also available.
 
For more information, visit BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or call 615-460-BALL.
 
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.