Women's Basketball Treks North, Faces Valparaiso in Indiana Friday Evening

 
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Following its impressive offensive performance last Saturday, the Belmont University women's basketball team takes its season-best eight-game winning streak on the road this weekend. The Bruins (14-7, 9-1 MVC) travel to Valparaiso University Friday evening for a 6 p.m. tipoff from the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana. On Sunday, Belmont faces the University of Illinois Chicago in the Windy City.
 
Friday's Missouri Valley Conference road game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Brian Jenning (play-by-play) and Jamie Stangel (analyst) on the call. The 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.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins have put together at least a seven-game winning streak in 10-straight seasons, including a 10-game winning streak in seven of the last nine seasons.
• Belmont has averaged 91.3 points per game across its last three wins and scored 80 or more points in four of its last five games.
• Last weekend, the Bruins outpaced one of the top offensive teams in the nation in a 96-89 victory over MVC rival Murray State inside the Curb Event Center. 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, including six of the last eight outings. Only Kansas State (17), Virginia Tech (15) and Notre Dame (12) have also had four players score in double figures in 12 or more games this season.
• Belmont has held its opponent under 67 points in 13 of its 14 victories this season, including eight below 60 points.
• For four consecutive weeks, the Bruins have gone unbeaten in the Valley.
• 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 53rd-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 ranked as the third-toughest in the nation.
• The Bruins enter the weekend 6-6 away from home this season, including 5-4 in true road games and 3-1 on the road in the Valley.
• 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

• Shooting a season-high 56.1 percent (32-of-57), Belmont went a remarkable 16-for-28 (57.1 percent) from distance in its win over the Racers last Saturday afternoon. It was the most made three-pointers for the Bruins since a Jan. 29, 2022, home win over UT Martin when Belmont went 16-for-34 from deep.
• The 96 points scored were the most for the Bruins since a 101-45 home triumph over Southern Illinois on Jan. 22, 2023.
• The matchup of MVC leaders featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties with neither Belmont nor Murray State leading by more than nine points.
• Graduate guards Tuti Jones (29 points) and Kendall Holmes (21 points), along with senior forward Kendal Cheesman (24 points), were phenomenal as each surpassed 20 points and combined for 14 of the Bruins' 16 threes. It was the first time three different Belmont players scored 20 points in the same game since Dec. 21, 2017, when Kylee Smith (27), Darby Maggard (21) and Ellie Harmeyer (20) accomplished the feat in a 111-74 rout at Vanderbilt.
• The Bruins totaled over 20 assists (21) for the third-straight game and scored an NCAA era school record 61 second-half points.
• Despite outscoring the Racers 61-47 in the second half, Belmont faced a one-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
• After trailing by seven at halftime, the Bruins shot a blistering 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the field in the second half and went a ridiculous 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from behind the arc.
• Thanks to a 22-7 scoring run over the first four-and-a-half minutes, Belmont scored a season-high 33 points in the third quarter before outpacing Murray State 28-20 in the final stanza.
• The Bruins overcame the Racers' Katelyn Young, who scored a women's single-game Curb Event Center record 39 points on 15-for-20 shooting, and held Murray State to 22.6 percent (7-for-31) from three-point range.

Player of the Week

• After recording her first double-double of the season and third of her career last weekend, Jones was named MVC Player of the Week Monday afternoon.
• In last Saturday's win over 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.
• A native of Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), 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 pivotal fourth.

Player Notes

• Earning at least four steals five times this season, Jones has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 12 games.
• Tallying four steals in both of Belmont's victories in Iowa, Jones reached 300 career steals in the win at Drake. She 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 (312), 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.
• Cheesman registered her ninth career and fourth double-double of the season in the 88-58 home rout of Indiana State on Jan. 26 with a career-high 15 rebounds and 11 points. Last weekend against Murray State, Cheesman went 8-for-12 from the floor and was 6-for-9 from outside for a season-high 24 points. She also snagged six rebounds and dished out four assists.
• Holmes has reached double figures in 14 of 21 games this season and is only 12 points away from reaching 1,000 for her career. In last Saturday's triumph over the rival Racers, Holmes notched a season-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including going 4-for-7 from deep.
• Freshman guard Sanaa Tripp provided back-to-back three-pointers to cap Belmont's lengthy third-quarter scoring run in the win over Murray State. The backup floor general was 2-for-2 from distance to finish with a career-high six points.
• 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.
• Reaching double figures in a team-best 15 of 21 games this season, Banks has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 12 outings.
• Banks tied her career high of 23 points in both of Belmont's last two non-conference games against Southeastern Conference opponents (No. 16/15 Kentucky and Mississippi State). 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.
• Junior guard Emily 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 downtown. 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.
• 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.
• Graduate guard Jacee Busick posted a season-best 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting versus Indiana State.
• 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.

Newcomer of the Week

• 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 at top-20 ranked Kentucky 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.

Nothing but NET

• With the NET rankings released on a daily basis since the beginning of December, the Bruins sit at No. 55.
• Last season, Belmont finished 71st in the NET.
• Six of the Bruins' 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. 17 Kentucky, No. 27 Michigan and No. 34 Mississippi State.
• Belmont owns highest NET ranking in the 12-team MVC. The Racers at No. 57, Missouri State at No. 72, Drake at No. 80 and Northern Iowa at No. 92 are also ranked in the top 100 of the NET out of the Valley.
• The Beacons enter the weekend ranked 243rd in the NET, which is the fourth-lowest NET ranking in the MVC.

Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 183-36 (.836) record in conference play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is a ridiculous 123-16 (.885) in conference action in eight seasons and has never lost more than three league games in a single season.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 207-42 (.831) against league opposition across 13 seasons.

MVC Preseason Poll

• The Bruins were 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.
• Belmont has finished first or second in its conference each of the last nine seasons.

Early Tests Against Some of the Nation's Best

• The Bruins 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 its season-opening visit to now No. 12/10 K-State, Belmont hosted now No. 8/8 Ohio State and traveled to now No. 10/12 Duke on Nov. 21.

A Winning Program

• The Bruins are 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.
• Belmont has won the 16th-most games of any NCAA Division I women's basketball program (1,097).
• 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 three spots to No. 18 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^® poll.

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 21 games, Holmes is the Bruins' second-leading scorer (11.5 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 186-62 (.750) and the Bruins are an astonishing 138-19 (.879) 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 80-14 (.851).
• 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 Valparaiso

• Friday evening will be only the fifth all-time meeting between Belmont and Valparaiso.
• The Bruins have won each of the first four matchups, including a 67-53 win over the Beacons less than a month ago on Jan. 12 in Nashville.
• Belmont jumped out to a 25-12 lead following the opening quarter of play when the two teams met earlier this year, and the Bruins held a plus-17 advantage on the boards (45-28). Holmes scored a game-high 18 points and Banks provided 16 points. Belmont limited Valparaiso to 33.3 percent (19-of-57) shooting, including 17.9 percent (5-of-28) from outside.
• On Feb. 22 last year, the Bruins dimmed the Beacons 83-56 in northwest Indiana. Behind five double-figure scorers, Belmont shot a season-high 57.7 percent (30-of-52).

About the Beacons

• Valparaiso (8-13, 4-6 MVC) has gone 3-2 since its January loss to the Bruins.
• The Beacons are coming off consecutive road wins at Evansville (66-54) and Indiana State (73-54) last week. Valparaiso also defeated Bradley 59-52 at home on Jan. 19.
• The Beacons are 5-3 at home this season.
• Fifth-year 5-foot-10 guard/forward Leah Earnest, a Preseason All-MVC Second Team selection and member of last year's All-MVC Second Team, continues to lead Valparaiso in scoring (17.3 PPG), rebounding (7.4 RPG) and assists (2.4 APG).
• Sophomore 6-foot guard/forward Nevaeh Jackson is also averaging double-figure scoring (13.1 PPG).

Up Next
The Bruins take on UIC Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Credit Union 1 Arena in the Windy City. The Valley road tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+. Next week, Belmont hosts Northern Iowa Thursday evening before welcoming Drake to the Curb on Saturday, Feb. 15.
 
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.