Bruins Return to the Curb, Welcome Northern Iowa Thursday Evening

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After a pair of road victories last weekend, the Belmont University women's basketball team returns to the Music City this week to host both of the Missouri Valley Conference's Iowa schools. The Bruins (16-7, 11-1 MVC) welcome Northern Iowa to the Curb Event Center Thursday evening for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
 
The MVC game of the week will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network, distributed by Gray Media and available on linear television in select markets throughout the Midwest and South, in addition to ESPN+. Locally in Nashville, the game will be on WSMV4 channel 4.2 - The Tennessee Valley Sports & Entertainment Network (Comcast channels 230 and 1171). Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) will have the call of the game.
 
The home contest can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online, with Dr. Rich Tiner providing live play-by-play of the action. Live stats can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Free BruinShop t-shirts will be given away to all fans in attendance, while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• Belmont went 2-0 last weekend at the University of Illinois Chicago and Valparaiso, securing its fifth consecutive undefeated week in the Valley.
• Last Sunday afternoon, the Bruins won their 10th in a row with a hard-fought 64-55 victory at UIC.
• Belmont has put together a 10-game winning streak in eight of the last 10 seasons and has held at least a seven-game winning streak for 10-straight seasons.
• In their last game at the Curb on Feb. 1, the Bruins outpaced one of the top offensive teams in the nation in a 96-89 win over MVC rival Murray State. The combined 185 points between the two teams tied for the third-highest scoring women's game in arena history.
• Five or more players have reached double figures in three different games this season.
• Belmont has been one of the most balanced scoring teams in the nation this season with at least four Bruins reaching double figures in 12 games. Only Kansas State (17), Virginia Tech (16) and Notre Dame (13) have also had four players score in double figures in 12 or more games this season.
• Nine of Belmont's 12 available players have scored in double figures at least once this season.
• The Bruins have held their opponent under 67 points in 15 of their 16 victories this season, including 10 below 60 points.
• Securing its first Iowa road trip sweep, Belmont earned its first-ever win in Des Moines with a dominant 80-65 victory at Drake on Jan. 16. The Bruins handed the Bulldogs their first MVC loss in nearly a year and snapped Drake's 19-game winning streak against Valley opponents. Belmont became the first MVC team to defeat the Bulldogs inside Drake's Knapp Center since Jan. 11, 2023 (Northern Iowa).
• The Bruins' strength of schedule is currently ranked as the 65th-most difficult in the country according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET).
• Facing four top-20 opponents and six power conference teams, Belmont went 5-6 during its strenuous non-conference schedule which ranks as the fourth-toughest in the nation.
• The Bruins are 8-1 at the Curb this season and have won seven straight at home.
• Five players scored in double figures in Belmont's wire-to-wire battle at 16th-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 20 to close out non-conference play.
• On Nov. 17, the Bruins nearly upset top-15 ranked Ohio State inside the Curb in Nashville. Belmont was knotted up with the Buckeyes at 63 with 30 seconds remaining and held a nine-point, 59-50 lead with just over five minutes to go.
• The Bruins' season opener was at 13th-ranked Kansas State on Nov. 7.

Last Time Out

• Putting together another formidable defensive performance, Belmont outlasted the Flames in a physical game in the Windy City to close out last weekend.
• The Bruins jumped out to a 19-11 lead following the first quarter of play and used a 15-0 scoring run over nearly five minutes of action from the tail end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter to pick up their eighth win away from home this season.
• Improving to 7-4 in true road games, Belmont came up with 10 steals, shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the field and assisted on all but four of its made field goals. The Bruins got 25 points off the bench, never trailed and led by as much as 18 with just under four minutes to go.
• Belmont shot 55.6 percent (10-of-18) in the second half, including going 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and held UIC to 28.6 percent (4-of-14) shooting in the pivotal fourth quarter.
• Sophomore guard Kensley Feltner drew a foul on a desperation three-point attempt right before the third-quarter buzzer and sunk all three free throws to spark a 12-0 start to the fourth. The Bruins led by only two at 47-45 prior to Feltner's three foul shots.
• Belmont held the Flames scoreless for the first five minutes of the final quarter and didn't give up a UIC field goal in the fourth until there was only 3:45 left in the game.
• Graduate guard Kendall Holmes scored her 1,000th career point at the 2:05 mark of the first quarter with a wing three-pointer. The Chicago-area native (Plainfield, Ill.) entered the game needing just a singular point to reach the career milestone.
• Senior forward Kendal Cheesman nearly had her second consecutive double-double with 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
• Graduate guard Tuti Jones posted 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and tallied a season-high tying five steals.
• Senior forward Carmyn Harrison recorded nine points and seven boards and junior guard Emily La Chapell dished out a team-high five assists.

Player Notes

Kendal Cheesman

• Earning the Bruins' second-straight MVC Player of the Week award of the season, Cheesman was named for the weekly conference honor Monday afternoon after averaging 17.5 points on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists last weekend. She shot 40 percent from downtown and had a steal in both road wins against the Flames and Beacons.
• In last Friday evening's win at Valparaiso, Cheesman registered her 10th career and team-best fifth double-double of the season with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting and a game-high 11 boards. Catching fire in the second quarter, Cheesman scored 13 of Belmont's 18 points by going 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-4 from deep.
• Scoring double figures in five-straight games, Cheesman is averaging 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds over her last four outings.
• In the Bruins' 88-58 home rout of Indiana State on Jan. 26, Cheesman pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points for her fourth double-double of the season. The Tampa, Florida (H.B. Plant HS), native went 8-for-12 from the floor and was 6-for-9 from outside for a season-high 24 points in the win over the Racers at the Curb.

Tuti Jones

• Earning at least four steals in five of the last seven games, Jones has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 14 outings.
• After recording her first double-double of the season and third of her career in the home win over Murray State, Jones was named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 3.
• Against the Racers, Jones scored a career-high tying 29 points and brought down a season-high 10 rebounds. She went 10-for-15 from the field, including 4-for-7 from long range, was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line, came up with a pair of steals and distributed four assists. Jones nailed a deep wing three-pointer as time expired in the third quarter to get Belmont within a point and give the Bruins all the momentum heading into the all-important fourth.
• Tallying four steals in both of Belmont's victories in Iowa, Jones reached 300 career steals in the win at Drake. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native is one of just 21 active players across all NCAA divisions and one of only 11 at the Division I level with 300 career steals.
• Already the Bruins' NCAA era career steals leader (321), Jones moved into second place all-time in program history with a pair of steals in the MVC-opening home win over Bradley on Dec. 29.

Kendall Holmes

• Holmes has reached double figures in 15 of 23 games this season.
• In the Feb. 1 triumph over rival Murray State, Holmes notched a season-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including going 4-for-7 from deep.
• Following her valiant effort against the nationally-ranked Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky, Holmes was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday, Dec. 23.
• Collecting Belmont's first weekly conference award of the season, Holmes scored 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including going 4-for-6 from outside the arc. A native of Plainfield, Illinois (Benet Academy), Holmes sparked the Bruins' comeback attempt as she scored 11 of her 18 in the fourth quarter on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from distance. It was her deep wing three-pointer that got Belmont within a possession in the final minute.

Jailyn Banks

• Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks was sensational in the Bruins' 74-60 win at Northern Iowa on Jan. 18, nearly recording a triple-double with her first career double-double. She scored 16 points, grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and distributed a career-best eight assists, not to mention collecting a pair of steals.
• Banks has scored in double figures in 15 of 23 games this season.
• In both of Belmont's last two non-conference games against Southeastern Conference opponents (No. 16/15 Kentucky and Mississippi State), Banks tied her career high of 23 points. In fact, all three of Banks' career-high 23-point performances have been against SEC opponents away from home. A native of Spring Hill, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee Christian School), Banks also put up 23 points in her collegiate debut at Missouri to begin the 2023-24 season.

Emily La Chapell

• La Chapell led all scorers in the road win over the Panthers in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting as she went 4-for-8 from three-point range. In the Bruins' decisive, 65-52 victory over mid-state foe Middle Tennessee on Dec. 7, La Chapell scored a career-high 26 points on a career-best 12-for-17 shooting.

Sanaa Tripp

• Freshman guard Sanaa Tripp has been outstanding as of late, scoring a career-high 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting in last Friday's road win over the Beacons. She hit three of her five three-point attempts and also snagged a career-high four rebounds.
• Over the last four games, Tripp has gone 6-for-10 from distance and is averaging 7.5 points on 54.5 percent shooting.

Kensley Feltner

• Feltner scored a career-high 11 points in back-to-back games in the home wins over Evansville and Indiana State, Jan. 24-26. In the blowout of the Sycamores, Feltner nearly tallied a double-double with a career-high eight rebounds.

Jacee Busick

• Graduate guard Jacee Busick posted a season-best 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting versus Indiana State on Jan. 26.

Carmyn Harrison

• After averaging 15.5 points on 76.9 percent (10-of-13) shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in the Sunshine State against Davidson and receiving-votes Michigan, Harrison was named to the Fort Myers Tip-Off Shell Division All-Tournament Team. The post player from Memphis, Tennessee (Hutchison School), scored at least 13 points in three-straight outings and reached double figures in four of five games from Nov. 14-30.

Nothing but NET

• With the NET rankings released on a daily basis since the beginning of December, Belmont sits at No. 54.
• Last season, the Bruins finished 71st in the NET.
• Six of Belmont's seven losses this season have been against teams ranked in the top 35 of the NET – No. 7 Kansas State, No. 8 Duke, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 28 Michigan and No. 34 Mississippi State.
• The Bruins own the highest NET ranking in the 12-team MVC. Murray State at No. 61, Missouri State at No. 72, Drake at No. 74 and Northern Iowa at No. 83 are also ranked in the top 100 of the NET out of the Valley.
• The Panthers enter Thursday evening with the fifth-highest NET ranking in the MVC.

Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, Belmont has compiled a remarkable 185-36 (.837) record in conference play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is a ridiculous 125-16 (.887) in conference action in eight seasons and has never lost more than three league games in a single season.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 209-42 (.833) against league opposition across 13 seasons.

MVC Preseason Poll

• Belmont was picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll as voted upon by the league's head coaches, media members and communications contacts but garnered three first-place votes.
• The Bruins have finished first or second in its conference each of the last nine seasons.

Early Tests Against Some of the Nation's Best

• Belmont went up against three teams who are ranked in the top 15 of both the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and USA Today Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll within the first three weeks of the season. In addition to their season-opening visit to No. 13/13 K-State, the Bruins hosted now No. 9/8 Ohio State and traveled to now No. 13/10 Duke on Nov. 21.

A Winning Program

• Belmont is the winningest program in the state of Tennessee over the previous 10 seasons, having claimed 237 victories with a winning percentage of .731 from 2014-24.
• Only nine other programs have also won 20-plus games for nine-straight seasons – UConn, Stanford, Baylor, South Carolina, Iowa, NC State, Indiana, South Dakota State and Florida Gulf Coast.
• The Bruins have won the 16th-most games of any NCAA Division I women's basketball program (1,099).
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20-plus games for nine consecutive seasons in both women's and men's basketball.

A Championship Program

• The Bruins (11) are one of only five teams in the nation to have won more than 10 combined conference championships, regular season and tournament, over the last eight seasons. UConn (16), Florida Gulf Coast (14), South Carolina (11) and Princeton (10) are the other four.

National Postseason Success

• Belmont has made six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments and reached the Round of 32 back-to-back years in 2022 and 2021.
• The Bruins capped their 2023-24 season by claiming their third national postseason victory in four years with a 77-59 road win at Ball State in the first-ever Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) game.

National Recognition

• Belmont has either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls in eight of the previous nine seasons.

Mid-Major Poll

• The Bruins moved up two more spots in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^® poll and are ranked No. 16.

Last Season

• Belmont went 26-9 to secure its most wins in a season since 2018-19. Going 17-3 in MVC play, the Bruins finished second in their second year in the Valley.

Experience and Youth

• Returning starters Jones, Cheesman and Banks, all of whom were All-MVC Third Team selections last year and were named Preseason All-MVC Second Team, are three of eight returning letter winners for Belmont.
• The Bruins have a great mix of experience and youth in 2024-25 with fifth-year Jones, senior Cheesman and graduate transfer guards Busick (Charlotte) and Holmes (South Dakota/DePaul) providing plenty of starting knowledge. Busick and Holmes brought in a combined 1,382 points and 150 Division I starts. In her Belmont debut at top-15 ranked K-State, Holmes scored a team-high 12 points. Through 23 games, Holmes is tied with Cheesman as the Bruins' second-leading scorer (11.1 PPG).
• Over the summer, Belmont also welcomed a trio of talented freshmen with guard Quinn Eubank (Union, Ky.), forward Hilary Fuller (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) and Tripp (Covington, Ga.) arriving in the Music City.

Under Coach Brooks

• In his eighth season at the helm, coach Brooks was named to the preseason watch list for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats for the second consecutive year.
• On Nov. 29, 2023, Brooks picked up his 150th win in less than 200 career games with the Bruins' 72-68 victory at Troy. He has led Belmont to a remarkable record of 188-62 (.752) and the Bruins are an astonishing 140-19 (.881) against conference opponents, including league tournament games, under his leadership.
• In conference tournament games, Brooks has gone 15-3 and he is 4-1 in championship contests.
• In the key months of February and March under Brooks' direction, Belmont is 82-14 (.854).
• The third-fastest head coach to 100 career victories in Division I women's basketball history, Brooks ranks among the top 20 of active Division I head coaches in terms of winning percentage.

Among the Toughest Schedules in the Nation

• The Bruins annually play one of the best non-conference schedules in the country and this season was no different. Six of Belmont's 11 non-conference opponents were from power conferences. Combined with their MVC slate, the Bruins face 10 teams who won 20 or more games last season and have a date with nine programs who finished in the top 100 of the final 2023-24 NET rankings.
• Additionally, Belmont takes on 12 national postseason teams from a year ago, including six who reached the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Bruins at Home

• The Bruins are 110-15 (.880) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .754 (208-68) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 86-14 (.860) inside the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 98-12 (.891) since 2012. In eight seasons, coach Brooks has lost only six league games at the Curb with a 64-6 (.914) record.
• The Bruins went 13-2 at home last season, securing the most home wins in a single season since 2019-20.

Versus Northern Iowa

• Thursday will be the sixth all-time meeting between Belmont and Northern Iowa.
• The Bruins have won each of the first six matchups, including a 74-60 victory in Cedar Falls last month. The 14-point win was the largest margin of victory in the series.
• On Feb. 15 last year, Belmont defeated the Panthers 84-72 at the Curb behind 50.9 percent shooting and 15 three-pointers. Cheesman led all scorers with 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting from outside.
• The two teams met in the 2023 MVC Tournament semifinals in Moline, Illinois, where the Bruins prevailed 69-62 to reach the Hoops in the Heartland championship game in Belmont's first season in the Valley.

About the Panthers

• Northern Iowa (12-11, 7-5 MVC) has gone 3-2 since its home loss to the Bruins on Jan. 18.
• The Panthers went 2-0 in Iowa last weekend with wins over Illinois State (72-52) and Bradley (69-51).
• Northern Iowa is 4-5 in true road games this season and 3-3 on the road in MVC action.
• The Panthers fell at Drake (69-63) and Missouri State (81-45) in their last two road outings.
• Northern Iowa was picked second in the MVC Preseason Poll, one spot ahead of Belmont, and garnered six first-place votes.
• One of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, the Panthers rank eighth in the country in three-point percentage (.378) and are 36th in three-pointers made per game (8.1).
• Senior 5-foot-6 guard Maya McDermott, an All-MVC First Team selection last season, is third in the MVC in both scoring (19.2 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG).

Up Next
The Bruins host defending MVC regular season and tournament champion Drake Saturday afternoon for Belmont's annual Play4Kay game benefiting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Tipoff from the Curb is slated for 4 p.m. The game will broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+.

Ticket Info
Flex pack plans for the 2024-25 season, along with single-game tickets, are still 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.