Bruins Claw Panthers 64-46 in MVC Tournament Quarterfinals Friday Night

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the third consecutive year, the Belmont University women's basketball team is headed to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals after the third-seeded Bruins defeated sixth-seeded Northern Iowa 64-46 late Friday in the last quarterfinal of the 2025 Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament. Belmont (21-11, 15-5 MVC) orchestrated a stifling defensive performance inside the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, as the Bruins held the Panthers (17-16, 11-10 MVC) to a season-low 16 made field goals.

Keeping Northern Iowa to a season-low 26.2 percent (16-of-61) shooting, Belmont outworked the Panthers on the glass with a plus-14 (48-34) rebounding margin.
 
Senior forward Kendal Cheesman was phenomenal on the boards, grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds while registering her 10th double-double of the season. Her 18 caroms tie for the fifth-most rebounds in a game in MVC Tournament history.
 
The Bruins got 23 points off their bench and went 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

??? yes yes yes yes! #ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/lfI2tdn1et

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) March 15, 2025

Belmont overcame 17 turnovers, which led to 18 Northern Iowa points, and a scoreless opening 3:36 of the contest.
 
After trailing 8-0, the Bruins ended the first quarter on a 13-4 scoring run to take a 13-12 lead heading into the second frame.
 
From there, Belmont constructed a remarkable second quarter of defense. The Bruins held the Panthers without a singular point for the last 8:08 of the first half. Ending the half on game-changing 12-0 run, Belmont led 33-18 at the break.
 
Outscoring Northern Iowa 20-6 in the second quarter, the Bruins went 7-for-13 from the field and were 3-for-5 from deep.
 
Belmont limited the Panthers to 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) shooting across the first 20 minutes of action while connecting on 48.1 percent (13-of-27) of its shots. Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks scored 12 of her game-high 17 in the first half.
 
Northern Iowa outscored the Bruins 16-6 in the first four-and-a-half minutes of the second half to climb back within five at 39-34. Extending a 10-2 run to 14-4, the Panthers got within a possession at 41-38 on a jumper from Taryn Wharton with four minutes left in the third quarter. However, it would be as close as Northern Iowa would get for the remainder of the night.
 
Cheesman responded with a corner three-pointer and splashed in a wing three moments later to push Belmont back out in front by 10 at 49-39. A Cheesman jumper ended the quarter and completed a 10-2 Bruin run as Belmont took a commanding, 51-40 lead into the final stanza.
 
The third was by far the Panthers' best quarter with Northern Iowa shooting 47.1 percent (8-of-17) and going 2-for-4 from outside in outpacing the Bruins 22-18. Cheesman scored nine of her 11 in the third period.
 
Not allowing the Panthers to score for nearly the first four minutes of the fourth, Belmont took a 55-40 lead 90 seconds into the quarter on a triple from graduate guard Tuti Jones. Giving up just one basket and holding Northern Iowa to six points in the last 6:07 of play, the Bruins remained comfortably ahead until the final buzzer.
 
Graduate guard Jacee Busick put an exclamation point on the night with a three-pointer with 1:10 left and freshman guard Quinn Eubank hit a runner in the lane in the closing minute.
 
The Panthers were restricted to 1-for-14 shooting, including 0-for-4 from distance, in the fourth quarter.
 
Belmont outscored Northern Iowa 22-14 in the paint.

Movin' on to the semis!#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville https://t.co/vIJV1kuMDp pic.twitter.com/oMffoyrvDO

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) March 15, 2025

Banks added four rebounds and four assists to her game-best 17 points. Graduate guard Kendall Holmes also scored in double figures with 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting.
 
Starting guards Maya McDermott and Kayba Laube led the Panthers with 12 points each.

?? Postgame comments from HC @BartABrooks and senior forward @KendalCheesman following the Bruins' @ValleyHoops Tournament quarterfinal win over Northern Iowa ????@MVCsports presser ?? https://t.co/iSrJzNCxUW#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/kTdHFU5mRo

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) March 15, 2025

Of Note

• The Bruins improve to 14-1 all-time at the Ford Center.
• Belmont has held its opponent under 52 points in each of its last four games inside the Ford Center dating back to the Bruins' 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title run.
• Cheesman's 18 rebounds are the most in a MVC Tournament game since 2015. She ties Evansville's Shyla McKibbon, who also collected 18 versus Missouri State in 1999.

Up Next
Belmont faces second-seeded MVC co-champion Missouri State in the second semifinal of the Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. The semifinal matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+. Sunday's MVC Tournament championship game is set for 1 p.m. Top-seeded MVC co-champion Murray State takes on fourth-seeded Drake in the tournament's first semifinal Saturday afternoon.
 
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.