Women’s Basketball Faces Murray State on the Road Sunday in Matchup of Valley Unbeatens

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a matchup of Missouri Valley Conference unbeatens, the Belmont University women's basketball team takes on Murray State Sunday afternoon in the Bluegrass State. Tipoff from the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky, is set for 2 p.m.
 
The MVC road test will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network, distributed by Gray Media and available on linear television in select markets throughout the Midwest and South, in addition to ESPN+. Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) will be on the call. Dr. Rich Tiner will also provide live play-by-play of the action on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online. Live stats of the game can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• At 7-0 in MVC play, the Bruins (11-7) are off to their best conference start since 2017-18 when Belmont completed its second consecutive undefeated season in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• The Bruins have won six in a row and earned their fourth road victory of the season Thursday night with a gritty, 85-77 triumph at Indiana State.
• Belmont is a perfect 5-0 in 2026 with four-straight home wins over Northern Iowa (81-62), Drake (78-69), Illinois State (75-68) and Bradley (78-57).
• The Bruins began MVC play with a 77-67 home victory over the University of Evansville on Dec. 17, marking their 10th-straight conference opening win.
• Belmont also defeated Southern Illinois 68-56 on the road on Dec. 29.
• The Bruins played eight of nine games at home with two four-game homestands in December and January. Belmont had four of its six December games in the Curb Event Center and the Bruins' first four games of the new year were in the Music City.
• Graduate guard Tuti Jones broke Belmont's all-time steals record late in the third quarter in Thursday's win in Terre Haute, Indiana. She recorded her 405th career steal to surpass Daree Pilkinton Merritt, who had compiled 404 steals from 1988-91.
• Sophomore forward Hilary Fuller leads the Bruins with 13 double-figure scoring games on the season. She has reached at least 17 points in six of her last 10 outings.
• Junior guard Jailyn Banks has scored in double figures in all but one game she has played this season (10-of-11). She is only 26 points away from becoming Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer.
• The Bruins faced three top-15 ranked Southeastern Conference opponents during non-conference play. Belmont hosted 15th-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 14 after challenging 12th-ranked Tennessee on Nov. 13 in Knoxville and sixth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, in its season opener.
• Ninth-year program leader Bart Brooks secured his 200th career victory with the Bruins' 72-66 road win at Dayton on Nov. 16. He reached the career milestone in only 270 games as a head coach.
• Belmont went on a historic national postseason run in the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), where it reached the championship game. It was the Bruins' deepest national postseason run in any sport.
• For the second time in four seasons, Belmont was picked as the preseason favorite to win the MVC. The Bruins captured a regular season championship in their first season in the Valley in 2022-23.
• Including last season, Belmont has reached the MVC Tournament championship game two of the last three years.
• The Bruins went 26-13 last season and 15-5 in the MVC, tying for third in the final league standings.
• Belmont's three returning starters – Jones, Banks and senior guard Emily La Chapell – in addition to graduate transfer guard Avery 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 the Bruins last season.
• Belmont 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 graduate forward KK Brodie (Pepperdine).

Last Time Out

• The Bruins put together a 21-12 third quarter after trailing the majority of the first half and built a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.
• Withstanding 27 and 25-point first and fourth quarters by the host Sycamores, Belmont got key baskets from Jones and Brodie late after Indiana State climbed back within five.
• Jones kept the Bruins in front by eight with her sixth steal of the night and a layup with under three minutes to go, before Brodie collected an offensive rebound and knocked down her third career three-pointer to make it 80-72 with just 1:16 left.
• Belmont overcame 37.3 percent (28-of-75) shooting inside the Hulman Center as the Bruins made 11 threes.
• For the second consecutive game, Belmont kept its turnovers to a season-low 10.
• The Bruins forced 22 Sycamore turnovers, which led to 20 points.
• For the 10th time of the season, Belmont came up with at least 10 steals, compiling 13 takeaways.
• Both Jones and Strickland turned in 20-point games. It was the first time two Bruins reached 20 points in the same game since Belmont's 90-45 road blowout of James Madison late last March in the WBIT quarterfinals.
• With one of her best games of the season to date, Jones scored 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, distributed a season-high seven assists for the second-straight outing, and registered a season-high tying six steals.
• Strickland totaled 20 points and snagged five rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp brought down a career-high eight rebounds, while Brodie made a game-high four blocks and secured a season-high six boards.
• Greensburg, Indiana (Greensburg Community HS), native West tallied a career-high eight points and earned a career-best five rebounds in her return to the Hoosier State.

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 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 and she registered her fourth career double-double.

1,500 Points and All-Tournament Team Honors

• Jones reached 1,500 career points with her 19-point performance versus now 14th-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas. She is only the 11th Bruin to reach 1,500 career points.
• Belmont's all-time steals leader (407), Jones is also the Bruins' all-time leader in both games started (154) and games played (155).
• Across all divisions of NCAA basketball, Jones is the nation's current leader in games played and is third among active career steals leaders.
• 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 Belmont's 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 their 58th season as a program, the Bruins have claimed the 15th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball (1,120).
• Belmont entered 2025-26 with the 30th-best all-time winning percentage (.658).
• The Bruins are 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.
• Belmont's 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 196-40 (.831) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 222-47 (.825) 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 209-75 record. His 73.6 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 136-20 (.872) 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 153-24 (.864) 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 was 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. 6/7 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 moved up two spots in the mid-major rankings and checks in at No. 21 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

Versus Murray State

• Sunday afternoon will be the 31st all-time meeting between the Bruins and the Racers with Belmont holding a commanding 24-6 lead in the series.
• The two teams met in last year's Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament championship game where top-seeded Murray State prevailed 83-62 against the third-seeded Bruins inside the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
• Belmont dropped an 83-78 decision in its last trip to the CFSB Center on Feb. 23 last year.
• On Feb. 1 last season, the Bruins defeated the Racers in a 96-89 thriller at the Curb. Shooting a blistering 56.1 percent (32-of-57) from the field, including 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from beyond the arc, Belmont overcame an 11-point second quarter with a 33-point third frame. The Bruins scored 61 points in the second half, the most in a half in Belmont's NCAA era. The game tied for the third-highest scoring women's game in Curb Event Center history.
• Prior to last season's two losses to Murray State, the Bruins had won eight of the previous nine matchups with the Racers.
• Belmont has won 19 of the last 23 meetings in the conference rivalry dating back to the 2000-01 season.
• Since the two programs joined the MVC prior to the 2022-23 season, the Bruins are 4-3 versus Murray State.
• Belmont went 14-1 against the Racers during the Bruins' 10-year run in the OVC.

About the Racers

• Murray State (15-2, 6-0 MVC) has lost only two games this season – a lopsided 91-60 setback at South Dakota State on Nov. 11 and an 84-64 defeat at Illinois a week later on Nov. 18.
• The Racers needed double overtime to beat both Illinois State (101-93) and Bradley (93-82) at home the first week of January.
• Murray State enters Sunday with an 8-0 record at the CFSB Center this season.
• The Racers' 13-game winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest in the nation.
• Murray State was picked second in the Valley's preseason predicted order of finish with 13 first-place votes.
• The Racers are the defending MVC Tournament champions after capturing their first MVC regular season title last year with a 16-4 mark in league play. Finishing 25-8 overall, Murray State was bounced by No. 6 seed Iowa (92-57) in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed.
• Averaging 85.1 points per game, the Racers are ranked 15th nationally in scoring.
• Murray State leads the country in made free throws per outing (21.7) and is third in free-throw attempts per game (26.7) and fourth in free-throw percentage (81.2).
• Junior 6-foot-2 forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, the two-time defending MVC Newcomer of the Week and an Indiana transfer, leads the nation in double-doubles (14). She is averaging 19.8 points per contest, and her rebounding average (12.3 RPG) is second-best nationally.
• Junior 5-foot-6 guard Halli Poock, an All-MVC Second Team selection last season, leads the Valley and is 18th nationally in scoring (19.9 PPG). She also leads the Racers in assists (4.0 APG).
• Junior 5-foot-6 guard Haven Ford, also an All-MVC Second Team pick last year, is averaging 17.3 points and 3.9 assists per outing.
• Junior 5-foot-10 guard Keslyn Secrist, an Indiana State transfer, is also averaging double-figure scoring (12.4 PPG).

Up Next
Belmont will have nearly a week off from game action before returning to the Music City next Saturday when the Bruins welcome Southern Illinois to the Curb. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the MVC home affair will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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 and single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are also on sale.
 
How to Follow
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