NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ending the Belmont University women's basketball team's 10-game winning streak, Northern Iowa defeated the Bruins 73-61 Thursday evening inside the Curb Event Center in the Music City. The visiting Panthers (13-11, 8-5 MVC) held Belmont (16-8, 11-2 MVC) to 34.8 percent (24-of-69) shooting and jumped out to a 15-point lead in the opening quarter.
The Bruins were an uncharacteristic 5-for-28 (17.9 percent) from beyond the arc and led for only 1:41 of the contest.
Belmont recovered from a slow start and a 21-13 deficit following the first quarter of play with a 17-8 second stanza to take a slight, one-point lead into halftime. However, Northern Iowa outscored the Bruins 44-31 in the second half behind 51.7 percent (15-of-29) shooting. The Panthers connected on four of their eight three-point attempts in the second half as Belmont went 2-for-13 from outside across the final 20 minutes of action.
The end result came about despite senior forward
Kendal Cheesman's best efforts as she scored a career-high 30 points on a career-best 12 made field goals and secured eight boards.
Sophomore guard
Jailyn Banks also put together a strong performance with her second career double-double, snagging a career-high 11 rebounds and scoring 10 points.
Outscored 40-32 in the paint, the Bruins held a slight margin on the glass (43-41) and totaled 16 points off 18 offensive boards.
Belmont was scoreless for nearly the first three minutes and Northern Iowa went up 14-2 four minutes in. Senior forward
Carmyn Harrison got the Bruins within eight before the Panthers extended their early advantage to 21-6 with just under two minutes to go in the first quarter.
Ending the opening frame on a 7-0 run, a Cheesman three-pointer and a Banks layup kept Belmont within eight heading into the second quarter.
Northern Iowa began 9-for-16 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep.
Cheesman began the second quarter with a layup and a Banks basket made it a two-point game at 24-22 with just under five minutes to go in the half. Capping a lengthy, 21-4 Bruin scoring run that began in the last 90 seconds of the first quarter, Cheesman hit a three to give Belmont its first lead of the evening at 27-25 with 1:26 left in the half. The run consumed 10 minutes of play and Cheesman accounted for 15 of the Bruins' 21 points during the stretch.
Graduate guard
Kendall Holmes sunk a mid-range jumper in the last 10 seconds of the first half to push Belmont in front 30-29 going into the break.
The Bruins held the Panthers to 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) from the floor, including 0-for-6 from distance, in the second quarter. Cheesman scored 10 of Belmont's 17 second-quarter points and had 17 points and five rebounds at halftime.
Northern Iowa scored the first five points of the second half, taking a 34-30 lead within the first minute. The Panthers went up by six at 39-33 a little over three minutes into the third quarter before the Bruins put together a 10-3 run sparked by yet another layup from Cheesman. A strong move and finish inside by Harrison and a pull-up jumper from graduate guard
Tuti Jones on a second-chance opportunity capped the run and gave Belmont its first lead of the second half at 43-42.
Over the last three minutes of the third quarter, the Bruins were outpaced 7-2. A layup by Northern Iowa starting guard Maya McDermott put the Panthers up 49-45 at the conclusion of the third.
Going 3-for-4 from three-point range, Northern Iowa outscored Belmont 20-15 in the third quarter.
Junior guard
Emily La Chapell made it a one-possession game within the first 40 seconds of the fourth quarter, but the Panthers continued to match the Bruins and built a seven-point lead at 56-49 on a three-pointer from starting guard Emerson Green. Holmes knocked down a triple and Cheesman made a turnaround jumper to get Belmont back within two at 56-54 with 6:15 remaining. It would be as close as the Bruins would get, though, as Northern Iowa finished on a 17-7 run.
Belmont looked poised for a run just after the fourth-quarter media timeout when Cheesman connected on another jumper, but the Panthers kept the Bruins without a field goal for nearly the next three minutes of action. Trailing by 10 with only a minute left, Cheesman splashed in her final three from way outside to make it 68-61. With little wiggle room, Belmont was unable to convert any of its shots in the closing 45 seconds.
Northern Iowa shot 58.3 percent (7-of-12) in the fourth and outscored the Bruins 24-16.
Harrison finished with nine points, five rebounds and two blocks, while Jones dished out a team-best five assists.
McDermott put up 21 points for the Panthers, eight of which were scored in the fourth quarter, and distributed a game-high six assists. Northern Iowa also got 15 points and six boards from Green, 13 points from fellow starting guard Kayba Laube and 11 points and seven rebounds from reserve forward Elise Jaeger.
Of Note
- The loss is Belmont's first against the Panthers.
- The Bruins had won each of the first six matchups with Northern Iowa.
- The loss snaps Belmont's seven-game home winning streak.
- The Bruins hadn't lost since Jan. 2 at Missouri State.
- Top-15 ranked Ohio State is the only other team to have beaten Belmont in the Curb this season.
- The loss is only the Bruins' 15th in February or March over the last eight seasons.
- Cheesman has scored in double figures in six-straight games, surpassing 20 points in three of her last four outings.
Up Next
Belmont hosts defending Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament champion Drake Saturday afternoon for the Bruins' annual
Play4Kay game benefiting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Tipoff from the Curb is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will broadcast on
The Valley on ESPN, available on
ESPN+. Next Thursday, Belmont travels to Illinois State.
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
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