Bruins Falter at Murray State Sunday Afternoon

MURRAY, Ky. – Held to a near season-low 48 points, the Belmont University women's basketball team suffered its first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season, 69-48, Sunday afternoon at Murray State. Despite holding the host Racers (16-2, 7-0 MVC) to their second-worst shooting game of the season, the Bruins (11-8, 7-1 MVC) were unable to get going offensively inside the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky,

Belmont scored no more than 14 points in any quarter and trailed by 12 after the opening 10 minutes of play.
 
The Bruins limited Murray State to 33.8 percent (24-of-71) shooting, including 25.8 percent (8-of-31) from beyond the arc. The Racers entered the game ranked 15th nationally in scoring (85.1 PPG).
 
Going 0-for-10 from deep, Belmont shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field. It marks the first time the Bruins were held without a made three-pointer since Nov. 25, 2012, at Florida Gulf Coast.
 
Belmont was outrebounded 53-32 and conceded 21 offensive boards, which led to 13 second-chance points for Murray State.
 
The Bruins outscored the Racers 34-20 in the paint but gave up 21 points on 14 turnovers. Belmont scored only 10 points off 15 forced turnovers.
 
Averaging over 10 steals per outing, the Bruins came up with just six takeaways.
 
Belmont kept Murray State to 13 made free throws on 16 attempts, its fourth-fewest makes and second-fewest attempts in a game this season. The Racers entered the weekend leading the nation in free-throw makes per contest (21.7) and ranked third nationally in free-throw attempts per game (26.7).
 
Graduate guard Avery Strickland scored the first basket of the afternoon a little over a minute in, but it would be the Bruins' only lead of the game. Murray State proceeded to go on an 18-6 scoring run over the next six-and-a-half minutes of action to build an 18-8 lead.
 
Sophomore forward Hilary Fuller kept Belmont within eight with strong takes to the rim, but the Racers led by double digits from the 1:09 mark of the first quarter onward.

Fuller straight to the basket for 2?? pic.twitter.com/CBEnIPOrOP

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) January 18, 2026

Murray State led 26-14 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Fuller had eight points after one quarter as the Bruins went 7-for-14 in the first period. The Racers began 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) from the floor and 2-for-4 from distance.
 
A 14-4 Murray State run in the second quarter was capped by a three-pointer by Halli Poock, putting the Racers up 20 at 44-24 with 1:40 left in the half. Murray State led 45-26 at the break.
 
Belmont was 0-for-4 from three-point range in the first half and earned only one trip to the free-throw line. Fuller scored 16 first-half points on 8-for-12 shooting.
 
The Bruins were outscored by just two in the second half (24-22) as both teams shot below 30 percent. Belmont went 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) across the closing 20 minutes, while the Racers were 7-for-31 (22.6 percent), including 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) from outside.
 
Murray State led by at least 20 for nearly the entirety of the third quarter, going up by as much as 24 at 56-32 on a Poock jumper.
 
The Bruins held the Racers without a field goal for the first 7:22 of the fourth quarter, clawing their way back within 12 midway through the final stanza. In fact, Belmont held Murray State without a made basket from the 3:07 mark of the third quarter to the 2:38 mark of the fourth, keeping the Racers to just six free throws across a 10:29 stretch of play.
 
Consecutive layups from sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp, a jumper by fellow sophomore guard Quinn Eubank and free throws from junior center KK Brodie finished a 12-0 Bruin run that got Belmont within 56-44 with six minutes left. Moments later, Fuller scored on a layup to keep the Bruins within 12 at 58-46 with five-and-a-half minutes to go.

Bank is open on Sundays @quinneubank ???? pic.twitter.com/6N7RsDBTsK

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) January 18, 2026

On Murray State's ensuing possession, Strickland came up with a steal, but Belmont couldn't do any more damage. For nearly the next five minutes, the Bruins were scoreless.
 
The Racers ended the game on an 11-2 run. A layup from Tripp with 40 seconds remaining were Belmont's only points in the last five-and-a-half minutes. Murray State's Keslyn Secrist put the game out of reach with a three-pointer making it 65-46 with just over two-and-a-half minutes left. With just under two minutes to go, the Racers got another triple, this time from Briley Pena.
 
Fuller finished with a game-high tying 22 points on 10-for-20 shooting. Tripp also reached double figures with 10 points. Strickland scored eight, while graduate guard Tuti Jones brought down a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Murray State had four players score in double figures led by Poock's 22 points. The Racers also got 13 points and eight boards from fellow starting guard Haven Ford. Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, the nation's double-double leader, had another double-double with 12 points and a game-best 15 rebounds. Secrist posted 12 points for Murray State as well and added six boards and a game-high four steals.
 
Of Note

• The loss snaps the Bruins' season-best six-game winning streak and is Belmont's first defeat in 2026.
• The Bruins drop to 24-7 all-time versus the Racers.
• Murray State has won three in a row in the series, and the two teams are tied at 4-4 since both joined the MVC prior to the 2022-23 season.
• Fuller has scored in double figures in a team-best 14 games this season. She has reached at least 17 points in seven of her last 11 outings.

Up Next
Belmont has nearly a week off from game action before returning to the Music City next Saturday when the Bruins welcome Southern Illinois to the Curb Event Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the MVC home matchup 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
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.