Bruins Come Up Just Short at Illinois State Thursday Night

NORMAL, Ill. – In only its second-ever trip to Normal, Illinois, the Belmont University women's basketball team was a handed a narrow, 66-63 setback at Illinois State Thursday night. The Bruins (16-10, 11-4 MVC) outscored the Redbirds (17-9, 11-4 MVC) 22-16 in the fourth quarter after facing a 12-point deficit but couldn't get a tying or go-ahead basket in the closing seconds.
 
Belmont had possession trailing 65-63 with 6.6 seconds left but a jumper from sophomore guard Jailyn Banks hit the iron and Illinois State gained possession on the rebound following a jump ball with only half a second remaining.

A three-pointer by Banks with 4:28 to go gave the Bruins their first lead since early in the second quarter and another Banks triple at the 2:12 mark put Belmont in front 60-58. However, it would be the Bruins' last field goal of the night as the Redbirds scored six-straight points over the next 90 seconds of play.
 
Down 64-60 with under 40 seconds left, graduate guard Kendall Holmes drew a foul on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws to give Belmont a chance. Holmes attempted to draw a charge on Illinois State starting guard Shannon Dowell as the Redbirds' shot clock was winding down but, instead, was whistled for a blocking foul. Dowell went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line, setting up Banks' would-be tying jumper.
 
The Bruins were outrebounded 40-30 inside Illinois State's CEFCU Arena and held a lead for only 5:28 of the contest, primarily in the opening quarter.
 
For the second consecutive game, senior forward Kenal Cheesman recorded a double-double with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Banks scored a team-high 20 points on 4-for-7 shooting from outside, her first career 20-point game in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Belmont was scoreless for nearly the first two-and-a-half minutes of the game before threes from Banks and junior guard Emily La Chapell capped an 8-0 run to give the Bruins an 8-4 lead. The early four-point advantage was Belmont's largest of the evening.
 
Closing on a 10-5 run, the Redbirds led by a point at 14-13 after the first quarter.
 
Holmes scored the Bruins' first five points of the second quarter, but Illinois State went on a 9-4 run to take a four-point, 26-22 lead with just under four minutes left in the first half. A triple from Holmes at the 7:16 mark of the second quarter gave Belmont its last lead until late in the fourth.

Cheesman collected an offensive rebound and got a putback layup to go right before halftime, but the Bruins trailed 31-29 at the break.
 
Cheesman snagged 12 first-half rebounds and the Redbirds' Dowell had 15 points by halftime.
 
Neither team shot exceptionally well for the entirety of the night, including both just over 40 percent in the first half.

Illinois State scored the first nine points of the second half and began the third quarter on a 17-7 run, taking a 48-36 lead with 3:13 to go in the period.
 
Senior forward Carmyn Harrison sparked a 16-4 Belmont scoring run, which stretched four-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter.
 
After shooting 53.3 percent (8-of-15) in the third and outscoring the Bruins 19-12, the Redbirds led 50-41 through three quarters. Belmont was held to 29.4 percent (5-of-17) shooting in the third stanza.

A Cheesman layup evened the score at 52 with 5:33 remaining, and the Bruins extended their lengthy run, which encompassed nearly 10 minutes of play, to 21-7. A layup from Banks with 3:52 left gave Belmont a 57-55 lead.

Banks scored 12 of the Bruins' 22 fourth-quarter points and Belmont shot 50 percent (7-of-14) in the quarter, including going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Illinois State got half of its fourth-quarter points from starting forward Addison Martin.

With their third quarter, the Bruins shot just 38.7 percent (12-of-31) in the second half. Cheesman and Banks combined for 25 of Belmont's 34 second-half points.
 
The Bruins finished 40 percent (24-of-60) from the field and 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) from distance. Belmont was 6-for-10 at the foul line.
 
The Redbirds shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55) for the game.

Illinois State's Dowell scored a game-high 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting and earned nine rebounds. The Redbirds also got 19 points from Martin, who tallied 16 in the second half and went 9-for-12 at the charity stripe. Starting guard Elyce Knudsen provided Illinois State with 11 points and starting forward Nevaeh Thomas secured a team-high 12 boards.

Of Note

• Prior to Thursday, the Bruins hadn't lost three-straight conference games since the 2014-15 season.
• Belmont has lost only 17 total games in February and March, including postseason play, over the last eight seasons.
• Following the loss, the Bruins are 2-2 all-time versus the Redbirds, including 1-1 in Normal.
• Cheesman has registered a team-high seven double-doubles this season and 12 over the last two seasons.
• Cheesman has scored in double figures in eight-straight games and is averaging 18.5 points and 10.4 rebounds over her last eight outings.

Up Next
Belmont makes the short trip to rival Murray State Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky, is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+. Next Thursday, the Bruins host Southern Illinois before welcoming Missouri State to the Curb Event Center next Saturday, March 1 for senior day.

Ticket Info
Single-game tickets for the 2024-25 season 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.