CARBONDALE, Ill. – Behind a career-best 22 points from graduate guard
Avery Strickland and an impressive third quarter, the Belmont University women's basketball team earned its second Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season with a 68-56 win at Southern Illinois Monday evening. The Bruins (6-7, 2-0 MVC) secured their third road victory of 2025-26 behind a stingy defensive effort that held the host Salukis (3-8, 0-2 MVC) to 32.7 percent (18-of-55) shooting inside the Banterra Center.
Belmont made a season-high 22 free throws in its trip to Carbondale, Illinois, and overcame 4-for-18 (22.2 percent) shooting from beyond the arc.
Southern Illinois' 56 points represent the fewest the Bruins have conceded in a game this season.
Belmont scored 23 points off 23 Saluki turnovers and came up with 12 steals. Outscoring Southern Illinois 32-22 in the paint, the Bruins notched 17 points off 14 offensive rebounds.
The game saw 46 combined fouls and three of the Salukis' starters fouled out.
Strickland went 7-for-10 from the field and was 4-for-7 from distance, while sophomore guard
Quinn Eubank nearly had a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds and eight points. Sophomore forward
Hilary Fuller, who went 5-for-6 a the free-throw line, also scored in double figures with 17 points. Graduate guard
Tuti Jones provided six boards, five points, a team-best four assists and a game-high four steals in 35 minutes on the floor.
Despite a scoreless first 3:19 and an early 4-0 deficit, Belmont led 14-11 following the opening quarter. A Strickland three-pointer got the Bruins going and a Eubank layup capped a 13-4 Belmont run late in the first quarter.
After the Bruins led 13-8 in the opening frame, Southern Illinois put together a 10-3 run and re-took the lead at 18-16 with 6:48 to go in the first half on a layup from starting guard Kayla Cooper. From there, Belmont turned to Fuller, who led a 9-0 Bruin run before the break.
Belmont led by five at 25-20 at intermission after holding the Salukis to only six made field goals on 24 percent (6-of-25) shooting. The Bruins shot just 25 percent (8-of-32) in the first half and were 1-for-9 from deep.
Fuller posted 13 first-half points.
Keeping Southern Illinois scoreless for nearly the first two minutes of the second half, Belmont got baskets from Fuller and Strickland to build a 29-20 lead. The Salukis used a 9-4 run to stay within four midway through the third quarter, but the Bruins scored 11-straight points in a two-and-a-half-minute span to take control of the game.
Consecutive buckets by Eubank ignited Belmont's 11-0 run and another Strickland three gave the Bruins a commanding 46-31 lead with 1:47 left in the third quarter. Eubank ended the third stanza with an offensive rebound and a last-second layup, completing a 15-2 Belmont run to close the quarter.
The Bruins led 50-33 heading into the final quarter of play after outscoring Southern Illinois 25-13 in the third behind 71.4 percent (10-of-14) shooting.
Strickland scored 11 of her 22 points in the third quarter.
Although Strickland went 2-for-3 from outside in the fourth, Belmont shot just 21.4 percent (3-of-14) in the quarter and was outpaced 23-18. The Bruins knocked down 10 of their 11 fourth-quarter foul shots to seal the road triumph.
Strickland's final three of the evening gave Belmont its largest lead of the game at 58-39 with 3:33 remaining. Although the Salukis outscored the Bruins 17-10 across the last three minutes, Southern Illinois got no closer than 10.
Belmont shot 46.4 percent (13-of-28) in the second half and went 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) at the free-throw line. The Salukis were 12-for-30 (40 percent) from the field, including 4-for-9 (44.4 percent) from long range, in the second half.
Starting guard Alayna Kraus led Southern Illinois with 20 points and the Salukis got 10 points and five rebounds from Cooper.
Of Note
- The game was the Bruins' first on the road since Dec. 3 at Middle Tennessee.
- Belmont has won three-straight true road games (Middle Tennessee and Dayton).
- For the seventh time this season, the Bruins recorded at least 10 steals.
- Belmont improves to 9-0 all-time against Southern Illinois, including 8-0 since joining the MVC.
- Fuller has scored at least 17 points in four of her last five outings, including each of her last three.
- Strickland is now tied with junior guard Jailyn Banks with two 20-point games this season.
Up Next
The Bruins begin their second four-game homestand Friday afternoon with Bradley visiting the Music City. Tipoff from the Curb Event Center is set for 2 p.m. On Sunday afternoon, Belmont hosts Illinois State. Both MVC home games this weekend will be broadcast on
ESPN+.
Season Tickets
Season tickets, which include all Belmont women's and men's basketball home games, are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting
BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or calling 615-460-BALL. Flex pack plans for the 2025-26 season are also on sale and can be purchased
here.
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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