Bruins Host Bradley Friday Afternoon to Start New Year

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following a 68-56 Missouri Valley Conference road victory at Southern Illinois Monday evening, the Belmont University women's basketball team begins 2026 with Bradley University Friday afternoon at the Curb Event Center. Tipoff from the Music City is slated for 2 p.m.
 
The Valley home game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner on the call. The afternoon matchup can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online. Live stats of the contest can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Belmont-branded insulated tumblers will be given away to all fans in attendance starting one hour prior to tipoff, while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins are off to a 2-0 start in MVC play after defeating the University of Evansville 77-67 on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at home in their Valley opener. It was Belmont's 10th-straight conference opening win.
• Monday's victory was the Bruins' third consecutive true road win (Southern Illinois, Middle Tennessee and Dayton).
• Friday afternoon's matchup begins Belmont's second four-game homestand in nine games.
• Four of the Bruins' six December games were at home and Belmont's first four games of the new year are in Nashville.
• The Bruins are 3-3 at home this season with wins over Brown (Nov. 7), nearby rival Lipscomb (Nov. 19) and Evansville (Dec. 17).
• Sophomore forward Hilary Fuller has scored at least 17 points in four of her last five outings, including each of her last three. She leads the team with 10 double-figure scoring games this season.
• Graduate guard Avery Strickland is tied with junior guard Jailyn Banks with two 20-point games on the season.
• Belmont faced three top-15 ranked Southeastern Conference opponents during non-conference play. The Bruins hosted 15th-ranked Kentucky on Sunday, Dec. 14 after challenging 12th-ranked Tennessee on Nov. 13 in Knoxville and sixth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, in their season opener.
• Ninth-year program leader Bart Brooks secured his 200th career victory with Belmont's 72-66 road win at Dayton on Sunday, Nov. 16. He reached the career milestone in only 270 games as a head coach.
• The Bruins went on a historic national postseason run in the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), where they reached the championship game. It was Belmont's deepest national postseason run in any sport.
• For the second time in four seasons, the Bruins were picked as the preseason favorites to win the MVC. Belmont captured a regular season championship in its first season in the Valley in 2022-23.
• Including last season, the Bruins have reached the MVC Tournament championship game two of the last three years.
• Belmont went 26-13 last season and 15-5 in the MVC, tying for third in the final league standings.
• The Bruins' three returning starters – graduate guard Tuti Jones, Banks and senior guard Emily La Chapell – in addition to graduate transfer Strickland (Tennessee/Pittsburgh), were named players to watch by the MVC.
• Jones, Banks and La Chapell were the only three players to start all 39 games for Belmont last season.
• The Bruins returned eight total letter winners and welcomed seven newcomers over the summer, including five freshmen – guard Rylie Beers (Littleton, Colo.), guard Kate McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis.), forward Dacarra Ward (Memphis, Tenn.), forward Leah West (Greensburg, Ind.) and guard Tatum Woodson (Minnetonka, Minn.) – and two transfers – Strickland and junior center KK Brodie (Pepperdine).

Last Time Out

• Improving to 9-0 all-time against the Salukis, including 8-0 since joining the MVC, Belmont put together a stingy defensive effort on the road. The Bruins held Southern Illinois to 32.7 percent (18-of-55) shooting and 56 points in Carbondale, Illinois, Monday evening.
• The 56 points represented Belmont's lowest opponent point total this season.
• The Bruins came up with 12 steals, marking the seventh game this season in which Belmont has recorded at least 10 steals.
• Making a season-high 22 free throws, the Bruins overcame 4-for-18 (22.2 percent) shooting from beyond the arc.
• Belmont scored 23 points off 23 Saluki turnovers, outscored Southern Illinois 32-22 in the paint and notched 17 points on 14 offensive rebounds.
• The game saw 46 combined fouls and three of the Salukis' starters fouled out.
• The Bruins used an impressive third quarter to take control of the game, outscoring Southern Illinois 25-13 behind 71.4 percent (10-of-14) shooting.
• Belmont led by as much as 19 with 3:33 remaining.
• After limiting the Salukis to only six made field goals on 24 percent (6-of-25) shooting in the first half, the Bruins shot 46.4 percent (13-of-28) and went 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) at the free-throw line in the second half.
• Strickland scored a career-high 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting and was 4-for-7 from distance. She scored 11 of her 22 in the third.
• Sophomore guard Quinn Eubank nearly had a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds and eight points.
• Fuller scored 17 points and went 5-for-6 at the foul line, while Jones provided six boards, five points, a team-best four assists and a game-high four steals in 35 minutes on the floor.

Player of the Week

• Jones was named both MVC and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 8-14 after scoring a season-high 24 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including making 4-for-9 from outside, grabbing a season-best 10 rebounds, dishing out a team-high five assists, and coming up with a game-high three steals against top-15 ranked Kentucky on Sunday, Dec. 14. She was also a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
• Jones' 24-point outing against the nationally-ranked Wildcats was her 80th career double-figure scoring game.

1,500 Points and All-Tournament Team Honors

• Jones reached 1,500 career points with her 19-point performance versus now 19th-ranked Ohio State on Monday, Nov. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas. She is only the 11th Belmont player to reach 1,500 career points.
• The Bruins' NCAA era leader in steals (391) and all-time leader in both games started (149) and games played (150), Jones is third among active career steals leaders across all divisions of college basketball. Jones needs just 14 more steals to set Belmont's all-time steals record.
• After averaging 17.5 points on 57.9 percent (11-of-19) shooting, including going 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from distance, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists in the Bruins' two games in the Bahamas, Jones was named to the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship Goombay Division All-Tournament Team.

A Winning Program

• In its 58th season as a program, Belmont has claimed the 15th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball (1,115).
• The Bruins entered 2025-26 with the 30th-best all-time winning percentage (.658).
• Belmont is one of only nine teams in the nation to have won 20-plus games for 10-straight seasons. UConn, South Carolina, Baylor, Iowa, NC State, Indiana, South Dakota State and Florida Gulf Coast are the others.
• The Bruins' 73.1 winning percentage (226-83) over the previous 10 seasons is the highest of any Division I women's basketball program in the state of Tennessee.
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20-plus games for 10 consecutive seasons in both women's and men's basketball.

A Championship Program

• The Bruins (11) are one of only six programs in the country to have won 10 or more combined conference championships, regular season and tournament, over the last nine seasons. UConn (18), Florida Gulf Coast (16), South Carolina (13), South Dakota State (11) and Princeton (10) are the others.
• Since the 2012-13 season, Belmont has won 12 combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• The Bruins have won 16 total conference championships – nine regular season and seven tournament titles – in Belmont's NCAA era.

National Postseason Success

• The Bruins have claimed seven national postseason wins in the last five years, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament round of 32 in 2021 and 2022.
• Belmont has earned a national postseason bid in 12 of the last 13 seasons, including six trips to the NCAA Tournament (2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016).
• The Bruins also reached the Big Dance in 2007 after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
• Belmont has participated in the last two WBITs and the 2023 WNIT.
• Playing into April for the first time in school history, the Bruins rattled off four wins in the 2025 WBIT. After taking out nearby Middle Tennessee in the opening round, Belmont overcame a 21-point deficit against Northern Arizona in the second round. The Bruins then doubled up top-seeded James Madison, who was an NCAA Tournament bubble team and receiving votes in both national polls, by 45 points on the road in the quarterfinals. In the WBIT semifinals inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Belmont ousted BIG EAST Conference mainstay Villanova.
• The Bruins' comeback against the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona in the WBIT second round last March tied for the largest deficit overcome to win any NCAA postseason game in Division I women's basketball history.

Conference Dominance

• Belmont has finished in the top three of its conference in 13 of the last 14 seasons, including each of the last 10.
• The Bruins have played in a conference tournament championship game eight of the last 10 years.
• Since the 2012-13 season, Belmont has compiled a remarkable 191-40 (.827) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 217-47 (.822) against league opponents across the last 14 seasons.

Head Coach Bart Brooks

• For the third-straight year, 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.
• In nine seasons, coach Brooks has compiled a remarkable 204-75 record. His 73.1 winning percentage ranks among the top 20 of active head coaches in Division I women's basketball.
• No other current Division I head coach with eight seasons or fewer under their belt has won more games than coach Brooks.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 131-20 (.868) in conference action with nine combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles. He has never lost more than five league games in any given season and has finished no worse than third across two different conferences.
• Including conference tournament games, coach Brooks is an astonishing 148-24 (.860) against conference opponents.
• Over the last eight postseasons, coach Brooks has gone 24-11 (.686).
• In the key months of February and March under coach Brooks' direction, Belmont is 92-19 (.829).
• Coach Brooks was the third-fastest head coach to 100 career victories in Division I women's basketball history (Leon Barmore, Louisiana Tech and Karl Smesko, Florida Gulf Coast).

Challenging the Nation's Best

• Coach Brooks and the Bruins annually play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation and this season is no different.
• Six of Belmont's 11 non-conference opponents were receiving votes in either or both the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll. The Bruins took on a trio of top-15 teams, including hosting No. 15/15 Kentucky on Dec. 14 after traveling to both No. 6/6 Oklahoma (Nov. 3) and No. 12/12 Tennessee (Nov. 13). In addition to hosting Duke (Dec. 20), who was receiving 13 votes in the coaches poll, and receiving-votes Princeton (Dec. 6), Belmont went up against receiving-votes Ohio State in the Bahamas (Nov. 24).
• With Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio State, Princeton, Kentucky and Duke, the Bruins faced six NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago during their non-conference slate. Of those, five reached at least the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament and three made it to the Sweet 16 with the Blue Devils continuing on to the Elite Eight.

Mid-Major Rankings

• Belmont is receiving the fourth-most votes (26) of teams not ranked in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 117-20 (.854) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .747 (215-73) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 93-19 (.830) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 101-14 (.878) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only eight league games at the Curb with a 67-8 (.893) record.
• For four-straight seasons and nine of the last 10, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus Bradley

• Friday will be only the fifth all-time meeting between Belmont and the Braves.
• The Bruins have won each of the first four matchups in the series by an average margin of 17.3 points. However, each of the last two games in the series have been decided by under 10 points.
• The two teams haven't met in over a year. On Dec. 29, 2024, Belmont defeated Bradley 69-61 at the Curb.
• During the 2023-24 season, the Bruins came away with a 77-72 early March victory in Peoria, Illinois.
• In the Braves' first-ever visit to Belmont on Jan. 6, 2024, the Bruins routed Bradley by 42 points (89-47).
• Banks scored 18 points and Jones had 12 in the last meeting as Belmont went 9-for-26 from three-point range.

About the Braves

• The Braves (8-4, 1-0 MVC) haven't played since Dec. 21, a narrow, 62-61 road win at Northern Kentucky.
• Bradley began MVC play on Thursday, Dec. 18 with a 64-47 home triumph over Southern Illinois.
• The Braves enter the first weekend of the new year riding a four-game winning streak.
• Bradley hasn't lost since a 92-53 defeat at now 20th-ranked Nebraska on Dec. 3.
• The Braves finished ninth in the Valley last season, going 7-13 in MVC action and 14-19 overall.
• Bradley is second in the MVC in scoring defense, allowing just 63.3 points per game.
• The Braves' 71.5 points per outing are the fourth-most in the Valley.
• Graduate 5-foot-10 guard/forward Kaylen Nelson, who was tabbed a MVC Player to Watch prior to the season, is averaging a team-leading 17.3 points per contest while leading the MVC from behind the arc. She is shooting 41.9 percent from deep with 39 made three-pointers.
• Freshman 5-foot-9 guard Maya Foz is also averaging double-figure scoring (13.0 PPG).
• Sophomore 5-foot-7 guard Mya Wardle, the daughter of Bradley men's basketball head coach Brian Wardle and an Eastern Kentucky transfer, leads the Braves in both assists (4.4 APG) and steals (1.4 SPG).

Up Next
The Bruins continue their four-game homestand Sunday afternoon with Illinois State visiting the Curb for a matinee 1 p.m. tipoff. The MVC matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+. Next weekend, Friday, Jan. 9 and Sunday, Jan. 11, Belmont hosts Drake and Northern Iowa.
 
Season Tickets
Season tickets, which include all Belmont women's and men's basketball home games, are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or calling 615-460-BALL. Flex pack plans for the 2025-26 season are also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
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.