Women's Hoops Tripped Up, 83-78, at Murray State Sunday Afternoon

MURRAY, Ky. – Despite holding the lead for half the game and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field, the Belmont University women's basketball team was handed an 83-78 loss on the road at Murray State Sunday afternoon. The Bruins (16-11, 11-5 MVC) led 62-57 heading into the final quarter but were outscored 26-16 by the host Racers (18-7, 12-4 MVC) in the deciding fourth inside the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
 
The score was tied at 72 with 3:44 to go before Murray State's Briley Pena connected on a three-pointer and the Racers led the rest of the way. Belmont got within a point three times in the closing three minutes but couldn't get a stop on each ensuing Murray State possession.
 
Senior forward Kendal Cheesman's would-be tying three in the last 15 seconds with the Bruins trailing 81-78 was blocked.
 
Belmont led by as much as 12 early and the Racers led by no more than five at any point. The Missouri Valley Conference rivalry matchup featured nine ties and eight lead changes.
 
Murray State scored 46 second-half points as both teams shot over 50 percent in the second half.
 
A 23-point third quarter put the Bruins up by as much as eight in the second half but the Racers began the final stanza on a 12-2 run to give the home team all the momentum down the stretch.
 
For the third consecutive outing, Cheesman registered a double-double with a game-high 25 points and team-best 10 rebounds. She was 9-for-15 from the field and 5-for-7 from deep.
 
Belmont held Murray State below its 45-percent shooting average at 43.2 percent (32-of-74), but the Racers hit 11 triples (11-of-35). The Bruins shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) and were 8-for-20 (40 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Keeping Murray State scoreless for the first two-plus minutes of the contest, Belmont led 14-4 at the first-quarter media timeout after Cheesman started 3-for-3 from three-point range. A layup from sophomore guard Kensley Feltner gave the Bruins a 16-4 lead with 4:24 left in the opening quarter.
 
The Racers went on a 15-2 scoring run the rest of the quarter and led 19-18 after the first period.
 
A 7-3 Belmont spurt early in the second quarter put the Bruins back in front 25-24 on a jumper from graduate guard Kendall Holmes. Senior forward Carmyn Harrison capped a 14-5 Belmont run to give the Bruins a 39-35 lead with under 30 seconds left in the half.
 
Belmont led 39-37 at the break after shooting 53.3 percent (8-of-15) in the second quarter. Cheesman tallied 19 first-half points on 7-for-8 shooting, including going 5-for-5 from downtown.
 
The Bruins limited Murray State to 35.7 percent (15-of-42) shooting in the first half, including 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) from distance.
 
A pair of Cheesman free throws finished off an impressive 10-0 Belmont run and pushed the Bruins in front 54-46 a little over four-and-a-half minutes into the second half.
 
Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks kept Belmont in front by six at 56-50 with a driving layup at the 3:30 mark of the third quarter. Up by five going into the fourth quarter, the Bruins went 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from the floor in the third and were 2-for-2 from outside. Junior guard Emily La Chapell scored nine third-quarter points on 4-for-4 shooting.
 
With their 12-2 start to the fourth, the Racers took a 69-64 lead 3:20 in on a corner three from Halli Poock.
 
Holmes sunk a wing three-pointer to begin an 8-3 Belmont run over the next three minutes of play. A conventional three-point play from Banks, a forced Murray State turnover and another strong take to the basket by Banks knotted up the score at 72 with 3:44 remaining.
 
Pena's go-ahead three came on the Racers' very next possession. Layups from Holmes and a La Chapell jumper got the Bruins within one on three occasions, first with 2:32 left at 75-74, then with just over a minute to go at 77-76, and lastly with 42 seconds remaining at 79-78.
 
Murray State shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) in the fourth quarter and was 3-for-5 from long range. Conversely, Belmont went 1-for-6 from outside the arc in the final quarter.
 
All 11 of La Chapell's points came in the second half where the Bruins shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29).
 
The Racers shot 53.1 percent (17-of-32) in the second half.
 
Banks finished with 16 points as she went 8-for-11 at the free-throw line. Holmes accounted for nine points and brought down six rebounds, while Harrison scored eight. In addition to her double-double, Cheesman made a pair of blocks.
 
Starting guard Haven Ford led Murray State with 24 points, a game-high seven assists and six boards. The Racers also got a double-double from starting forward Ava Learn, who totaled 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Murray State starting center Katelyn Young, the MVC's leading scorer, posted 20 points on 9-for-17 shooting, six boards, four assists and three steals. Poock finished with 16 points for the Racers.
 
Of Note

• Belmont's four-game losing streak is its longest since Nov. 13-25, 2022.
• The Bruins' five MVC losses are the most in conference play since the 2014-15 season.
• Belmont drops to 24-5 all-time versus Murray State.
• The loss is only the Bruins' third against the Racers since the 2000-01 season – Belmont is 19-3 versus Murray State during that span.
• The Bruins are 4-2 against the Racers since both programs joined the MVC prior to the 2022-23 season.
• Both Banks and Cheesman have scored in double figures in a team-best 19 of 27 games this season.
• Cheesman has recorded a team-high eight double-doubles this season and 13 over her last two seasons.
• Cheesman has reached double figures in nine-straight games and is averaging 19.2 points on 56.9 percent (29-of-51) shooting from distance and 10.3 rebounds over her last nine outings.
• Belmont has lost only 18 total games in February and March, including postseason play, over the last eight seasons.

Up Next
The Bruins return to the Music City next week and host Southern Illinois Thursday night before welcoming MVC-leader Missouri State to the Curb Event Center Saturday afternoon for senior day. Tipoff Thursday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the Valley home tilt broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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.