Women's Basketball Welcomes Southern Illinois to the Music City Thursday Night

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Beginning its final week of regular season action in the Music City, the Belmont University women's basketball team hosts Southern Illinois Thursday night inside the Curb Event Center. Tipoff of the Missouri Valley Conference matchup is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
Thursday's home tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) on the call and Landen Secrest reporting from the sideline. The game can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online. Live stats can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Once again, the Bruins have partnered with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans and supporters of the Belmont program are encouraged to make a donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund on the Bruins' behalf throughout the month of February by visiting support.kayyow.com/BelmontWBB. On Saturday, Feb. 15, Belmont hosted Drake for its annual Play4Kay pink game to bring awareness to all cancers affecting women.
 
Friendship bracelets are Thursday night's gameday giveaway, available to all fans in attendance while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• Following an 83-78 setback at Murray State last Sunday afternoon, the Bruins have lost four in a row.
• Prior to a 73-61 home loss to Northern Iowa on Feb. 13, Belmont had won 10 straight and seven consecutive in Nashville.
• In eight seasons, the Bruins have lost only 18 total games in February and March, including postseason play.
• Despite dropping its last two games at the Curb, Belmont is 8-3 at home this season.
• During their 10-game winning streak, the Bruins went undefeated in the MVC for five-straight weeks.
• 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 consecutive seasons.
• Five or more Bruins have reached double figures in four different games this season.
• Belmont has been one of the most balanced scoring teams in the nation this season with at least four players reaching double figures in 13 games. There are only 14 other teams in the nation who have also had four players score in double figures in 12 or more games this season.
• Nine of the Bruins' 12 available players have scored in double figures at least once this season.
• Belmont has held its opponent under 67 points in 15 of its 16 victories this season, including 10 below 60 points.
• Two of the Bruins' top-five highest-scoring games ever played in the Curb have taken place this year. Belmont's thrilling 96-89 win over MVC rival Murray State on Feb. 1 tied for the third-highest scoring women's game in arena history, while the Bruins' 88-83 loss to Drake on Feb. 15 was the fifth-highest scoring women's game in Curb Event Center history.
• Belmont's strength of schedule is currently ranked as the 62nd-most difficult in the country according to the NCAA statistics database.
• Facing four top-20 opponents and six power conference teams, the Bruins went 5-6 during their strenuous non-conference schedule, which ranks as the fourth-toughest in the nation according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET).
• 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 the Music City. 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

• Although Belmont held the lead for half the game and shot nearly 50 percent, the Bruins were unable to complete the regular season sweep of the Racers in Murray, Kentucky, last Sunday. Belmont was 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.

Player Notes
 
Kendal Cheesman

• One of only four players in the nation averaging over 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc, Cheesman has registered a double-double in three consecutive games.
• Cheesman has scored in double figures for nine-straight games, averaging 19.2 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 57.6 percent (68-of-118) from the field.
• The Tampa, Florida (H.B. Plant HS), native was named Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week Wednesday after averaging 21 points on 63.6 percent (7-of-11) shooting from distance and 13 rebounds in Belmont's road games at Illinois State and Murray State last week.
• Cheesman earned the Bruins' second-straight MVC Player of the Week award on Feb. 10 after averaging 17.5 points on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in road victories at the University of Illinois Chicago and Valparaiso.
• She is only 58 points from reaching 1,000 for her career and is only 80 points from becoming Belmont's 36th 1,000-point scorer.

Jailyn Banks

• Along with Cheesman, sophomore guard Jailyn Banks has scored in double figures in a team-best 19 of 27 games this season. Against the Redbirds last Thursday night in Normal, Illinois, Banks recorded her first 20-point performance in MVC play as she went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
• Banks has notched two double-doubles on the season, both against Northern Iowa. She nearly had a triple-double in the Bruins' visit to Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 18 with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists, before totaling a career-best 11 boards and 10 points versus the Panthers in Nashville on Feb. 13.
• 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.

Tuti Jones

• Earning at least four steals seven times this season, graduate guard Tuti Jones has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 18 outings.
• After recording her first double-double of the season and third of her career in the home win over the Racers with a career-high tying 29 points and season-high 10 rebounds, Jones was named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 3.
• With four steals in the Jan. 16 road triumph at Drake, Jones reached 300 career steals. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native is one of just 22 active players across all NCAA divisions and one of only 12 at the Division I level with 300 career steals. Already the Bruins' NCAA era career steals leader (326), 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

• Graduate guard Kendall Holmes scored her 1,000th career point in her hometown in the win over the Flames on Feb. 9. The Chicago-area native (Plainfield, Ill.) entered the game needing only one point to reach the career milestone and hit a three-pointer at the 2:05 mark of the first quarter.
• Holmes has reached double figures in 16 of 27 games this season, including scoring a season-high 21 points in the home win over Murray State to begin February.
• Following her valiant effort against the nationally-ranked Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky, Holmes collected Belmont's first weekly conference honor of the season by being named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 23. She posted 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including going 4-for-6 from outside, at top-20 ranked Kentucky.

Emily La Chapell

• Junior guard Emily La Chapell led all scorers in the road win at Northern 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 provided a huge boost off the bench and put up a career-high 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the road win over the Beacons on Feb. 7.

Kensley Feltner

• Sophomore guard Kensley 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, senior forward Carmyn 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.

Versus Southern Illinois

• Thursday will be the eighth all-time meeting between Belmont and Southern Illinois.
• The Bruins have won each of the previous seven matchups.
• Belmont is 2-0 against the Salukis in Nashville, including a 72-64 triumph late last January. In the first MVC game of the series on Jan. 22, 2023, the Bruins routed Southern Illinois 101-45. It was the largest margin of victory for Belmont against a Division I opponent in program history.
• In both team's third MVC outing of the season on Jan. 4, the Bruins earned a 79-66 win over the Salukis in Carbondale, Illinois. Behind four double-figure scorers, Belmont shot 50 percent from the floor and held Southern Illinois to 37.5 percent shooting.
• The two teams first met on Dec. 21, 2002, in Long Beach, California, where the Bruins defeated the Salukis 67-57.

Up Next
Belmont takes on Missouri State Saturday for senior day in a 4 p.m. tipoff from the Curb. Prior to the game, Cheesman, Harrison, senior guard Liz Suder, Holmes and Busick will be recognized for their contributions to the program. Saturday's senior day game will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available 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.