Bruins Rout Purple Aces Friday Night at the Curb for Sixth-Straight Win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a well-balanced offensive performance, the Belmont University women's basketball team blew past the University of Evansville 90-65 Friday night inside the Curb Event Center for its sixth consecutive victory. Moving to 7-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play, the Bruins (12-7) posted season highs in points (90), assists (26) and made field goals (34) as six different players reached double figures for the first time since a Jan. 20, 2022, win at Morehead State.
 
In fact, eight Bruins scored at least eight points. All five of Belmont's starters scored in double figures and the Bruins put together their most complete game of the season thus far.
 
A three-pointer from graduate guard Tuti Jones 40 seconds in ignited Belmont's offensive flurry and the Bruins led the remainder of the night. Belmont led by as much as 40 in the third quarter and shot a season-high 54 percent (34-of-63) from the field, including a season-best 50 percent (10-of-20) from behind the arc.
 
Defensively, the Bruins forced 20 turnovers and scored 31 points off the Purple Aces' miscues. Belmont held Evansville (5-13, 1-6 MVC) under 40 percent (23-of-58) shooting and limited the Purple Aces to 7-for-25 (28 percent) from long range.
 
The Bruins outworked Evansville 48-26 in the paint and Belmont tied its season-best bench production with 36 of its 90 points coming off the bench.
 
Beginning the game 3-for-3 from deep, the Bruins led 11-2 a little over three minutes in. A 13-0 Belmont scoring run put the Bruins up 26-8 following eight quick points from graduate guard Kendall Holmes.
 
Belmont led 28-10 after the first quarter of play, representing the highest-scoring quarter for the Bruins this season. Going 6-for-8 from outside in the opening stanza, Belmont shot 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the floor.
 
A layup from graduate guard Jacee Busick 45 seconds into the second quarter gave the Bruins their first 20-point lead and Busick went on to score eight of Belmont's first 10 points of the period. The Bruins ended the first half on an 11-3 run over the last 3:14. Holmes made it 50-22 before the break with a layup, giving her 11 first-half points.
 
Belmont cooled off in the second quarter but shot 57.6 percent (19-of-33) across the first half, including going 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) from distance. Jones scored 10 points and dished out five assists in the half.
 
The Bruins limited the Purple Aces to 30 percent (9-of-30) first-half shooting and Evansville was 0-for-10 on three-pointers in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
Junior guard Emily La Chapell gave Belmont its first 30-point lead within the first 10 seconds of the second half before the Bruins went on a 14-2 run over a span of about three minutes of play. Senior forward Carmyn Harrison scored on a layup to cap the run, ballooning Belmont's advantage to its largest of the night at 68-28 with just under four minutes to go in the third quarter.
 
Despite being outscored 13-3 in the closing minutes of the third, the Bruins took a commanding 30-point, 71-41 lead into the final quarter.
 
Both teams shot over 60 percent in the third quarter with Belmont connecting on nine of its 14 field-goal attempts (64.3 percent). The Purple Aces went 7-for-11 (63.6 percent) from the field in the third and were 3-for-5 from three-point range.
 
Baskets from sophomore guard Kensley Feltner and freshman guard Quinn Eubank kept the Bruins in front by 30-plus early in the fourth quarter before Evansville made a late push. Although the Purple Aces outpaced Belmont 18-13 in the final 8:04, the Bruins relied on their youngsters to close things out. That they did.
 
Freshman forward Hilary Fuller (8), Feltner (7) and Eubank (4) accounted for all of Belmont's fourth-quarter scoring.
 
Both squads shot 50 percent in the second half with Evansville outscoring the Bruins 43-40 behind 7-for-15 (46.7 percent) shooting from downtown and 16 points from starting forward Maggie Hartwig.
 
Belmont was 1-for-6 from deep in the second half.
 
Senior forward Kendal Cheesman finished with a team-high 12 points and seven rebounds, while Feltner tallied a career-high 11 points. Holmes and La Chapell also notched 11 points and sophomore guard Jailyn Banks and Jones both scored 10 points. Jones, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, also distributed a season-high seven assists.
 
Busick posted a season-high eight points and both Fuller (8 points) and Eubank (6 points) recorded career highs.
 
All 12 available Bruins saw at least two minutes of action on the court.
 
Hartwig led all scorers with 20 points for the Purple Aces on 6-for-11 shooting, including 3-for-5 from outside. Evansville also got 13 points from reserve guard Avery Kelley and 11 and 10 points from starting guards Júlia Palomo and Camryn Runner, respectively.

?? | Graduate guard @tutijones3 and HC @BartABrooks' comments following the Bruins' 90-65 rout of Evansville Friday night in the ?? ????????!#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/W5GEG4RbOT

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) January 25, 2025

  Of Note

• The 26 assists are the most for Belmont in a game in a little over three years – Jan. 20, 2022, at Morehead State.
• The 90 points scored are the most for the Bruins since a 93-53 home win over the Purple Aces on Feb. 10, 2023.
• Belmont has won all five matchups with Evansville since joining the MVC and is 5-2 in the all-time series.
• Banks has scored in double figures in 14 of 19 games this season, including her last 10 outings.
• Jones has reached double figures in nine of the last 10 games.

Up Next
The Bruins return to action Sunday afternoon when Belmont hosts Indiana State at the Curb. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the Valley home matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+. Next Saturday, Feb. 1, the Bruins welcome conference rival Murray State to the Music City.
 
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.