SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A would-be tying putback by sophomore guard
Jailyn Banks was a few tenths of a second too late for Belmont University women's basketball Thursday night in Springfield, Missouri, as the Bruins came up just short, 57-55, in their first Missouri Valley Conference road game of the season. Belmont had taken a 53-52 lead with 1:46 to go but came up empty on four of its final five possessions, including a missed Banks layup right before the buzzer.
The Bruins (6-7, 1-1 MVC) trailed for over 35 minutes of the contest but were within a couple of possessions for most of the night.
The Lady Bears (9-4, 1-1 MVC) got back-to-back layups from starting forward Sarah Linthacum, including an offensive rebound and putback, to take a 56-53 lead with 59 seconds left. However, Missouri State went 1-for-6 at the free-throw line in the closing 30 seconds, leaving the door wide open for Belmont to tie or take the lead.
An uncharacteristic 3-for-15 (20 percent) from beyond the arc, the Bruins were 0-for-4 from deep in the fourth quarter.
Belmont outscored the Lady Bears 36-24 in the paint but both teams shot around 35 percent from the field with the Bruins going 21-for-60.
Missouri State, who was last year's MVC Tournament runner-up, held Belmont scoreless for the first four-and-a-half minutes of play and led 9-3 five minutes in. A Banks steal and score sparked an 8-2 Bruin run and a free throw from sophomore guard
Kensley Feltner tied the score at 11 late in the first quarter.
The Lady Bears led 13-11 after the opening 10 minutes of action as Belmont went 3-for-13 (23.1 percent) from the floor.
Missouri State starting guard Kiley Bess capped a 9-1 Lady Bear run two-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter to give the hosts their largest lead of the game at 20-12. The Bruins then rattled off eight consecutive points with junior guard
Emily La Chapell tying the score once more at 20 on a layup with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half.
Belmont went 2-for-8 across the last four minutes of the half and Missouri State took a 28-25 lead into the break.
La Chapell scored nine first-half points, but the Bruins shot 30.8 percent (8-of-26) and were 1-for-5 from outside. The Lady Bears went 6-for-14 (42.9 percent) from the field in the second quarter and Missouri State starting guard Paige Rocca also had nine at intermission.
Belmont kept the Lady Bears without a field goal for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half and a three-pointer from senior forward
Kendal Cheesman gave the Bruins their first lead of the night at 30-29. After Missouri State scored five-straight points, Belmont got within a point three times before a three-point play from Banks evened the score at 38 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
A strong take to the basket by freshman guard
Sanaa Tripp at the end of the third deadlocked the score at 42 heading into the final quarter.
Outscoring the Lady Bears 17-14 in the third quarter, the Bruins shot 46.7 percent (7-of-15) and limited Missouri State to 31.3 percent (5-of-16) shooting.
Belmont was held without a field goal for the first 3:19 of the fourth quarter and the Lady Bears pulled ahead 48-43. Graduate guard
Kendall Holmes got the Bruins back within one at 48-47 with a layup with 3:56 remaining, before graduate guard
Tuti Jones finished off a 10-4 Belmont run. Jones' layup with 1:46 left gave the Bruins only their second lead of the night at 53-52.
After Missouri State took a 56-53 lead, Banks made it a one-point game on a putback with 35 seconds to go. The Lady Bears' Rocca knocked down one of two free throws on Missouri State's ensuing possession, making it 57-55. With a chance to tie, Belmont committed two turnovers on its next two possessions in the final 20 seconds.
The Bruins were 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) and the Lady Bears 6-for-17 (35.3 percent) in the fourth quarter.
Belmont edged Missouri State 30-29 in the second half on 38.2 percent (13-of-34) shooting. The Lady Bears went 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) at the free-throw line in the second half and were 11-for-33 from the field.
Banks led a trio of Bruins in double figures with 16 points, while both Jones and La Chapell scored 11. Cheesman grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and scored seven.
Linthacum led Missouri State with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and also secured eight boards. The Lady Bears also got 11 points from Rocca, 10 points from 2023-24 MVC Newcomer of the Year Lacy Stokes and a game-high 12 rebounds from Bess.
Of Note
- Missouri State won its third straight in the series, improving to 3-3 versus Belmont.
- The Bruins suffered their first loss in MVC play since Feb. 17 of last year, a 77-71 home setback against Drake. Belmont ended the 2023-24 regular season with six-straight MVC wins.
- Freshman forward Hilary Fuller registered multiple blocks for the second time this season.
- Graduate guard Jacee Busick played a season-high 19 minutes.
Up Next
The Bruins head to Carbondale, Illinois, for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Southern Illinois. Tipoff from the Banterra Center is set for 2 p.m. The MVC road tilt will be broadcast on
ESPN+. Next weekend, Belmont hosts UIC Friday night and Valparaiso Sunday afternoon at the Curb Event Center in Nashville.
Ticket Info
Season tickets are on sale for $199 per seat and include all women's and men's basketball home games.
View available seating and purchase your seats.
Flex pack plans for the 2024-25 season are also on sale and can be purchased
here.
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit
BelmontBruins.com/Tickets.
How to Follow
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