Third-Seeded Bruins Head to Top-Seeded JMU for WBIT Quarters Thursday Night

 
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Following a dramatic, come-from-behind second-round victory Sunday afternoon at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, the Belmont University women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) Thursday night for a quarterfinal matchup at James Madison University. Tipoff from the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET.
 
The Bruins (24-12), who are the No. 3 seed in the upper right quadrant of the WBIT bracket, face the Dukes (30-5), who are the top seed in the upper right quadrant, for the first time in program history.
 
James Madison was one of the first four teams not selected to the NCAA Tournament field.
 
The NCAA-sanctioned postseason contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Curt Dudley (play-by-play) and Missy Buck (analyst) on the call. Savanah Wilkerson will be reporting from the sideline. The national postseason game can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online, with Dr. Rich Tiner providing live play-by-play of the action. Live stats of the game can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.

?? | Graduate guard @KendallHolmes9 and HC @BartABrooks preview Thursday evening's @wbitwbb Quarterfinal matchup at top-seeded James Madison following the Bruins' dramatic comeback win Sunday afternoon ????#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/h16mOMcI0R

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) March 26, 2025

What's Bruin

• After a 64-51 opening-round home victory over familiar mid-state foe Middle Tennessee last Thursday night, Belmont overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat Northern Arizona this past Sunday. Sophomore guard Jailyn Banks provided the final theatrics in a sequence of game-winning plays with her last-second layup pushing the Bruins past the visiting Lumberjacks, 81-80. Junior guard Emily La Chapell had the game-winning inbound pass to Banks with 2.5 seconds remaining, and Banks scored on a reverse layup with 0.3 seconds remaining. Senior forward Carmyn Harrison had given Belmont its first lead since the three-minute mark of the first quarter on a steal and layup with just 16.2 seconds to go before Northern Arizona retook the lead at 80-79.
• The Bruins are in their deepest national postseason run in NCAA Division I program history.
• Belmont has claimed five national postseason wins in five years.
• The Bruins are joined by UConn and Villanova as the only three programs outside the four autonomy conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12) who have recorded national postseason victories in four of the last five seasons with multiple NCAA Tournament wins.
• Belmont also received an at-large bid to the WBIT last year and won the first-ever WBIT game on March 21, 2024, with a 77-59 victory at fourth-seeded Ball State in Muncie, Indiana.
• Thursday's game is the Bruins' 37th of the season, tying for the most games Belmont has played in a season in program history (1990-91). It is the most games played in a season in the Bruins' NCAA era.
• March 27 is also the latest date in a season Belmont has ever played.
• The Bruins had their six-game winning streak snapped by Murray State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game inside the Ford Center in downtown Evansville, Indiana, on selection Sunday. As the No. 3 seed, Belmont made its eighth conference tournament championship game appearance in 10 seasons.
• The Bruins have earned a national postseason bid in 12 of 13 seasons dating back to Belmont's 2012-13 campaign.
• The Bruins have finished in the top three of their conference in 13 of the last 14 seasons, including each of the last 10 seasons.
• Belmont won its 1,100th game as a program with its 73-43 home shellacking of Southern Illinois on Feb. 27.
• In eight seasons, the Bruins have lost only 19 total games in February and March, including postseason play.
• From Jan. 4-Feb. 13, Belmont won 10 in a row.
• The Bruins have put together a 10-game winning streak in eight of the last 10 seasons and have held at least a seven-game winning streak for 10-straight seasons.
• Five or more players have reached double figures in six different games this season.
• Belmont has been one of the most balanced scoring teams in the nation in 2024-25 with at least four players reaching double figures in 16 games. Only 15 other teams in the country 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 twice this season.
• Belmont has held its opponent under 70 points in 22 of its 24 victories this season, including 14 below 60 points.
• The Bruins' strength of schedule is ranked as the 76th-most difficult in the nation 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 ranks as the fourth-toughest in the country.
• Two of the Bruins' top-five highest-scoring games ever played in the Curb Event Center took 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 at the Curb.
• 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.

In the WBIT

• The Bruins are 3-1 in WBIT games. After its first-round road win over the Cardinals last March, Belmont traveled to top-seeded Penn State where the Bruins were handed a 74-66 defeat.
• The MVC led all conferences with four at-large selections into the 2025 WBIT field.

National Postseason Success

• Belmont has made six of the previous eight NCAA Tournaments, including reaching the Round of 32 back-to-back years in 2022 (win vs. Oregon in Knoxville, Tennessee) and 2021 (win vs. Gonzaga in San Marcos, Texas).
• The Bruins also participated in the 2023, 2014 and 2006 WNIT and competed in the 2013 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

Last Time Out

• Belmont trailed the Lumberjacks by 12 with two-and-a-half minutes to go and faced a 17-point deficit (45-28) at halftime.
• Graduate guard Tuti Jones drained a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game for the first time since the two-and-a-half minute mark of the opening quarter with just under 30 seconds left.
• The Bruins' comeback began in earnest with 2:33 remaining when Banks and freshman guard Sanaa Tripp made back-to-back hustle plays for five consecutive points.
• Belmont closed the game on a 23-6 run across the last six-and-a-half minutes of play.
• The Bruins outscored Northern Arizona 32-19 in the fourth quarter on 50 percent (11-of-22) shooting.
• Belmont staged its improbable comeback despite going 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) from beyond the arc.

Player Notes
 
Senior Forward Kendal Cheesman

• The third Bruin to be named All-MVC First Team and the second to be selected to an MVC All-Tournament Team.
• Averaged 12 points and 13 boards during Belmont's MVC Tournament run, collecting 39 total rebounds for the second-most in MVC Tournament history and the most across three tournament games.
• One of only two players in the nation averaging over 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 made three-pointers per game while shooting at least 36 percent from behind the arc (Mia Jacobs, Fresno State).
• Averaged a near double-double in MVC action with 14.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
• With five double-doubles in her last 12 outings, Cheesman has registered a team-best 10 double-doubles this season. She has earned 15 double-doubles over the last two seasons.
• The Tampa, Florida (H.B. Plant HS), native was named Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week on Feb. 26 and earned the Bruins' second-straight MVC Player of the Week award on Feb. 10.
• Cheesman reached 1,000 career points in the second quarter of the MVC Tournament championship game against Murray State and became Belmont's 36th 1,000-point scorer with a third-quarter three in the WBIT first round win over the Blue Raiders.

Sophomore Guard Jailyn Banks

• An All-MVC Third Team selection for the second consecutive year, Banks leads the team in double-figure scoring games – 26 of 36 games this season.
• She has posted four 20-point games and put together her first two career double-doubles against Northern Iowa.
• The Spring Hill, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee Chirstian School), native nearly had a triple-double during the Bruins' Jan. 18 win in Cedar Falls, Iowa, 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. All three of Banks' career-high 23-point performances have been against SEC opponents away from home. She also put up 23 points in her collegiate debut at Missouri to begin the 2023-24 season.

Graduate Guard Tuti Jones

• Garnered All-MVC Third Team, MVC All-Defensive Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors for the second-straight year.
• In MVC play, Jones shot 51.5 percent (85-of-165) from the field and a team-best 44 percent (40-of-91) from distance.
• Among the top 40 players in the nation with 80 steals, Jones has tallied at least four steals seven times and scored in double figures in 19 games.
• Named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 3, Jones recorded a double-double in the home win over the Racers with a career-high 29 points and a season-high 10 rebounds.
• The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native is one of just 25 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 (339), 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.
• With 133 career starts and 134 games played, Jones is tied for the most starts and is just six games from the most ever played in Belmont's NCAA era.

Graduate Guard Kendall Holmes

• A member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Third Team, Holmes scored her 1,000th career point in her hometown in the win at the University of Illinois Chicago on Feb. 9.
• The Chicago-area native (Plainfield, Ill.) has reached double figures in 22 of 34 games played this season, including scoring a season-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting in the home win over Murray State to begin February.
• After her valiant effort at top-20 ranked Kentucky, Holmes collected the Bruins' first weekly conference honor of the season by being named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 23. She notched 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including going 4-for-6 from outside, versus the nationally-ranked Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky.

Junior Guard Emily La Chapell

• La Chapell has scored in double figures 18 times this season and leads the team in minutes (30.5 MPG).
• The Appleton, Wisconsin (Appleton East HS), native 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 Belmont's decisive, 65-52 regular season victory over 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

• In her first two career starts on the road to wrap up the regular season, Feltner put together career-best performances. She scored 17 second-half points in the triumph at Indiana State on March 6 before tallying a career-high 19 points on a career-best 8-for-10 shooting in the win at Evansville on March 8. Against the Purple Aces in the regular season finale, Feltner went 4-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-high tying eight rebounds.
• A native of Louisa, Kentucky (Lawrence County HS), Feltner has reached double figures in four games.

Freshman Guard Sanaa Tripp

• Providing a huge boost off the bench, Tripp has scored in double figures in road victories at Valparaiso and Indiana State and in the WBIT second round win over the Lumberjacks.
• In the road win over the Beacons on Feb. 7, Tripp scored a career-high 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Against the Sycamores in Terre Haute, Indiana, Tripp recorded 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.
• Against Northern Arizona last weekend, Tripp poured in 11 points and snagged four boards in a little over 16 minutes of action.

Graduate Guard Jacee Busick

• Sensational in the March 6 victory at Indiana State, Busick scored a career-high 18 points on a career-best 8-for-11 shooting.
• Over the last seven games, Busick has shot 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the floor and gone 9-for-12 from deep.

Senior Forward 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, Harrison was named to the Fort Myers Tip-Off Shell Division All-Tournament Team.
• The Memphis, Tennessee (Hutchison School), native scored at least 13 points in three-straight games and reached double figures in four of five outings from Nov. 14-30.

Senior Guard Liz Suder

• A native of Leesburg, Virginia, Suder starred at Riverside High School in Loudoun County where she was a 1,000-point scorer and was named Virginia High School League (VHSL) Region 5C Player of the Year.

Against the Sun Belt

• The Bruins are 29-18 all-time against current Sun Belt Conference programs. 

Up Next
With a win Thursday night, Belmont would advance to the WBIT semifinals, which will be held this Monday, March 31 at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Bruins would face either fourth-seeded Villanova or unseeded Portland, who face each other in the quarterfinals Thursday night. The WBIT semifinals will be aired on ESPNU, while the championship game next Wednesday, April 2 will be broadcast on ESPN2.
 
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