Bruins Claim 67-61 Senior Day Victory Over MVC Leader Missouri State Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind inspired defensive play, strong rebounding and an impressive third quarter, the Belmont University women's basketball team capped its home slate of 2024-25 with a convincing, 67-61 victory over Missouri Valley Conference leader Missouri State late Saturday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center. The Bruins (18-11, 13-5 MVC), who moved within a game of first place in the MVC race with the win, outscored the Lady Bears (22-7, 14-4 MVC) 22-7 in the third quarter and led by as much as 18 in the fourth quarter.
 
Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks put together one of her strongest performances in MVC play this season with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting, five assists, five rebounds and a steal. She was accompanied by near double-doubles from graduate guard Tuti Jones and senior forward Kendal Cheesman.
 
After trailing by seven in the second quarter and down a point at halftime, Belmont began the second half on an 8-0 run and never looked back.
 
The Bruins limited Missouri State to 38.5 percent (25-of-65) shooting and only three made threes (3-of-21), while outworking the Lady Bears 40-38 on the glass. Belmont assisted on 14 of its 24 made baskets and went 11-for-13 at the free-throw line.
 
Prior to the game, the Bruins honored senior forwards Cheesman and Carmyn Harrison, graduate guards Jacee Busick and Kendall Holmes, senior guard Liz Suder, and team managers Shaniya Turner and Zach Benson for Belmont's on-court senior day recognition.
 
Following the pregame ceremony, Holmes proceeded to go 3-for-5 from beyond the arc as she tallied 11 points. She was 2-for-2 from deep in the third quarter.
 
Banks put the Bruins up 7-4 four minutes in before Missouri State went on a 13-4 scoring run to take a 17-11 lead in the last two minutes of the opening quarter. Belmont faced a 19-14 deficit after one quarter of play.
 
The Lady Bears began 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) from the field.
 
Jones had seven of the Bruins' 14 first-quarter points.
 
A layup by Missouri State starting forward Sarah Linthacum early in the second quarter gave the Lady Bears their largest lead of the day at 21-14, before Belmont was energized by three-pointers from junior guard Emily La Chapell and Holmes. A 7-0 run pushed the Bruins back in front with Banks making it 31-29 with two minutes to go in the half.
 
Missouri State's Kyrah Daniels hit a jumper right before the break to make it 34-33 Lady Bears at the half.
 
Belmont cooled off Missouri State to 37.5 percent (6-of-16) shooting in the second quarter as the Bruins outscored the Lady Bears 19-15.
 
Banks went 4-for-4 in the second quarter and had 10 points at intermission.
 
Holmes began the second half with a triple and hit another trey moments later to give Belmont all the momentum within the first two minutes. Leading 41-34, the Bruins extended their lead to nine at 45-36 on a pair of Banks free throws that capped a 12-2 start to the third quarter.
 
After Missouri State got within five, Harrison started a 10-1 Belmont run to end the quarter. In fact, the Bruins' 45-40 lead with four minutes left in the third would be as close as the Lady Bears would get for the remainder of the contest. Banks ended the period with an exclamation point, taking one step past the midcourt line before draining it from the Belmont logo as the buzzer sounded. Her halfcourt shot put the Bruins up 55-41 heading into the final quarter.

AT THE BUZZER. FROM DEEP. ?? @Jailynbanks3 #NCAAWBB x ?? ESPN+ / @BelmontWBB

pic.twitter.com/nuIUndnLys

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 2, 2025

Belmont went 7-for-14 from the floor in the third quarter while holding Missouri State to 3-for-17 shooting, including 0-for-9 from distance.
 
Banks finished an and-one play at the 7:21 mark to increase the Bruins' lead to 18 at 60-42. Belmont remained comfortably ahead by double digits with a layup from Cheesman making it 65-48 with only 3:24 left.
 
The Lady Bears attempted to make things interesting down the stretch, closing the game on a 13-2 run; however, La Chapell scored on a runout layup in the final 10 seconds to seal the victory.
 
Missouri State outscored the Bruins 20-12 in the third quarter, but Belmont outpaced the Lady Bears 34-27 in the second half. The Bruins allowed only 10 second-half field goals as Missouri State was kept to 30.3 percent (10-of-33) shooting, including 1-for-15 from outside.
 
La Chapell tallied 10 points, while Jones totaled nine points and was one off her career high with 10 rebounds. Cheesman posted nine points and nine boards and added a pair of assists, a block and a steal.
 
The Lady Bears got 18 points off their bench, 16 of which came from Kaemyn Bekemeier, who also secured seven rebounds. Daniels led Missouri State with 19 points on 9-for-18 shooting and starting point guard Lacy Stokes scored 14 points and came up with eight boards.

?? | Sophomore guard @Jailynbanks3 and HC @BartABrooks on the Bruins' senior day victory over Missouri State Saturday in the Music City ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/vh8T387Tor

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) March 2, 2025

Of Note

• With the triumph, Belmont avenges its Jan. 2 road loss at Missouri State.
• The Bruins have defeated 10 of the Valley's 11 other teams this season.
• Belmont closes its home schedule at 10-3. The Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb for four consecutive seasons and nine of the last 10 years.
• Belmont is 3-0 versus the Lady Bears in Nashville.
• The Bruins improve to 4-3 all-time against Missouri State.
• Banks has scored in double figures in six-straight games and a team-best 21 of 29 games this season. Saturday's 21-point output is her fourth 20-point game of the season.

Up Next
Belmont hits the road next week to wrap up the regular season, traveling to Indiana State Thursday evening and Evansville next Saturday. Tipoff Thursday from the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Both MVC road matchups will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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.