Bruins Complete Fifth Consecutive Undefeated Week in the Valley with 64-55 Victory at UIC Sunday Afternoon

CHICAGO – In a hard-fought, physical affair inside Credit Union 1 Arena in downtown Chicago Sunday afternoon, the Belmont University women's basketball team won its 10th straight with a 64-55 victory over the University of Illinois Chicago. The Bruins (16-7, 11-1 MVC) used a 19-11 first quarter and a 15-0 run over nearly five minutes of action in the second half to conclude their fifth consecutive undefeated week in Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
Shooting 47.8 percent (22-of-46), Belmont came up with 10 steals and assisted on all but four of its made field goals. The Bruins got 25 points off the bench and never trailed.
 
Belmont led by as much as 18 with just under four minutes to go.

Another strong second half led to the Bruins shooting 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from the field, including going 3-for-6 from behind the arc. After the Flames (9-12, 6-6 MVC) shot 50 percent or better in the second and third quarters, Belmont held UIC to 28.6 percent (4-of-14) shooting in the fourth quarter.
 
It was sophomore guard Kensley Feltner's foul drawn on a desperation three-pointer right before the third quarter buzzer that completely changed the game. The Bruins led by only two at 47-45 when Feltner wisely attempted a three in the last second of the quarter and drained all three of her free throws to make it 50-45 heading into the all-important final stanza.

Feltner's foul shots sparked a 12-0 Belmont start to the fourth as the Bruins didn't allow the Flames to score for the first five minutes of the quarter. In fact, Belmont's defense didn't give up a UIC field goal in the fourth until there was only 3:45 left in the game.

The Bruins scored the first six points of the afternoon, going up 6-0 on a jumper from graduate guard Tuti Jones a little over two minutes in. Junior guard Emily La Chapell made it 11-6 midway through the opening quarter on a layup before graduate guard Kendall Holmes splashed in a three and senior forward Carmyn Harrison converted a free throw to cap an 11-2 run. Belmont led 17-6 with a little over a minute left in the first quarter.

Holmes' triple at the 2:05 mark of the first quarter represented her 1,000th career point. The Chicago-area native (Plainfield, Ill.) entered the game needing just a singular point to reach the career milestone.

??,?????? ??????????????@KendallHolmes9 ??#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/pNjxQnT6CH

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) February 9, 2025

Coming off a career-high 13-point performance in the win at Valparaiso Friday night, freshman guard Sanaa Tripp scored the Bruins' first seven points of the second quarter as Belmont pushed in front 30-18 within the first five minutes. Baskets from Jones and graduate guard Jacee Busick gave the Bruins their largest lead of the half. However, the Flames kept Belmont without a field goal for the last 5:22 of the half.
 
Following a 10-3 UIC run to close the first half, the Flames pulled back within five at 33-28 going into the break.

UIC outscored the Bruins 17-14 in the second quarter behind 54.5 percent (6-for-11) shooting.
 
Reserve guard Krystyna Ellew scored eight first-half points for the Flames to lead all scorers at intermission.

After senior forward Kendal Cheesman put Belmont up 35-30 a little over 90 seconds into the second half, UIC evened the score with a triple from Danyel Middleton. Two strong takes by sophomore guard Jailyn Banks, which resulted in a trio of free throws, and another Cheesman layup pushed the Bruins back out in front by five at 40-35 at the midway point of the third quarter.
 
A Jones three-pointer and a Cheesman jumper kept Belmont in front by five before Ellew connected on a three to get the Flames within two points in the last minute of the third. It would be the closest UIC would be for the remainder of the contest.

Both teams shot 50 percent and scored 17 points in the third quarter. Cheesman and Feltner combined for 11 of the Bruins' third-quarter points.
 
Following Feltner's dramatic end to the third, Cheesman began the fourth quarter with a three nearly a minute in and Harrison followed with a conventional three-point play. Jones continued the game-altering 12-0 run with her second trey giving Belmont a 59-45 lead with 7:41 to go. Another Harrison layup and the foul capped the run before La Chapell hit a jumper to increase the margin to its largest of the game at 64-46 with only 3:53 left.
 
The Flames closed on a 9-0 run.

The Bruins shot a blistering 62.5 percent (5-for-8) in the fourth quarter and Harrison scored six of Belmont's 14 points.
 
Finishing 14-for-18 at the free-throw line, the Bruins went 8-for-9 at the charity stripe in the second half.
 
Cheesman nearly had another double-double with 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Jones posted 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and tallied a season-high tying five steals. Harrison recorded nine points and seven boards and La Chapell dished out a team-high five assists.
 
Ellew paced UIC with 14 points off the bench and the Flames got 11 points from starting guard Arin Freeman.

?? | Hear from HC @BartABrooks after another challenging road victory in the @MVCsports ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/BxFdW4crrk

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) February 10, 2025

Of Note

• Belmont has put together a 10-game winning streak in eight of the last 10 seasons.
• The Bruins have held their opponent under 60 points in 10 of their 16 wins.
• Belmont improves to 6-0 all-time versus UIC.
• Cheesman has scored in double figures in five-straight games.
• Jones has registered at least four steals in five of her last seven games. She has reached double figures in 12 of the last 14 outings.

Up Next
The Bruins return to the Curb Event Center next week, hosting Northern Iowa Thursday evening before welcoming Drake to the Music City Saturday afternoon. Tipoff Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network, distributed on Gray Media and also available on ESPN+.

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.