Women’s Basketball Returns to Game Action, Visits Evansville Thursday Evening

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following an 11-day break from game action, the Belmont University women's basketball team returns to play Thursday evening at the University of Evansville. Tipoff from Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville, Indiana, is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference road tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Kyle Peach (play-by-play) and Liz McCormick (analyst) 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

• The Bruins (11-8, 7-1 MVC) had their home game versus Southern Illinois, originally scheduled for this past Saturday, postponed due to the ice storm in Nashville. The game will be made up on Monday, March 2.
• Suffering its first conference loss of the season, Belmont was defeated 69-48 at Murray State on Sunday, Jan. 18. The loss snapped the Bruins' season-best six-game winning streak.
• Belmont got off to its best conference start (7-0) since 2017-18 when the Bruins completed their second consecutive undefeated season in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• At 4-3 in true road games this season, Belmont has earned road victories at Indiana State (85-77) and Southern Illinois (68-56) in MVC action.
• The Bruins are 5-1 in 2026.
• Belmont began MVC play with a 77-67 home win over the Purple Aces on Dec. 17, marking the Bruins' 10th-straight conference opening win.
• Belmont played eight of nine games at home with two four-game homestands in December and January. The Bruins had four of their six December games in the Curb Event Center and Belmont's first four games of the new year were in the Music City.
• Graduate guard Tuti Jones broke the Bruins' all-time steals record late in the third quarter in Belmont's win over the Sycamores in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Jan. 15. 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 14 double-figure scoring games on the season. She has reached at least 17 points in seven of her last 11 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 junior center KK Brodie (Pepperdine).

Last Time Out

• Despite holding the Racers to their second-worst shooting game of the season, the Bruins were unable to put together enough offense at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
• Belmont scored no more than 14 points in any quarter and trailed by double digits from the 1:09 mark of the first quarter onward.
• 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).
• For the first time since Nov. 25, 2012, at Florida Gulf Coast, Belmont went without a made three-pointer. The Bruins were 0-for-10 from deep and shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field.
• 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).
• The Bruins were outscored by just two in the second half (24-22), holding Murray State to 22.6 percent shooting and only seven made field goals.
• Fuller scored a game-high tying 22 points on 10-for-20 shooting after posting 16 points in the first half on 8-for-12 shooting.
• Sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp also reached double figures with 10 points.
• Strickland scored eight, while Jones brought down a team-high nine rebounds.

Hoosier State Native

• Freshman forward Leah West is a native of Greensburg, Indiana, which is about three-and-a-half hours from Evansville.
• Staring at Greensburg Community High School, West was an Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) All-State selection and claimed the 2024-25 Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 3A Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award for her excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.
• Following her senior year, West was selected to play in the prestigious Hoosier Gym All-Star Classic.

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 Belmont player to reach 1,500 career points.
• The Bruins' all-time steals leader (407), Jones is also Belmont's all-time leader in both games started (155) and games played (156).
• 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 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 (1,120).
• 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 196-41 (.827) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 222-48 (.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 209-76 record. His 73.3 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 136-21 (.866) 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 153-25 (.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 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 checks in at No. 24 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

Versus Evansville

• Thursday evening will be the 10th all-time meeting between Belmont and Evansville with the Bruins holding a 7-2 lead in the series.
• Belmont is an unblemished 7-0 versus the Purple Aces since joining the MVC.
• The Bruins' 77-67 triumph over Evansville on Dec. 17 in Nashville was the closest margin in the previous seven matchups as MVC adversaries.
• In Belmont's last trip to Meeks Family Fieldhouse on March 8 of last year, the Bruins defeated the Purple Aces 75-48. The road victory concluded the 2024-25 regular season and clinched Belmont's 10th consecutive 20-win season.
• The Bruins have blown out Evansville by 40-plus points twice since joining the Valley.
• Belmont outscored the Purple Aces 22-8 in the third quarter in the two teams' first meeting this season. Four Bruins scored in double figures led by Fuller's then career-high 19. Belmont outworked Evansville 42-18 in the paint and outrebounded the Purple Aces 41-36 while shooting a season-high 49.1 percent (27-of-55).
• In the late '90s, Evansville collected two wins against the Bruins in a home-and-home series.

About the Purple Aces

• The Purple Aces (5-15, 3-6 MVC) snapped a four-game losing streak this past Sunday afternoon with a 68-65 road win at Northern Iowa. The victory was just Evansville's fifth win of the season.
• To begin the new year, the Purple Aces defeated Valparaiso 66-46 at home before earning a 75-70 road victory at Southern Illinois.
• In non-conference play, Evansville picked up home wins over Indiana University Indianapolis (75-58) and Northern Illinois (65-52).
• The Purple Aces are 3-3 at home this season.
• Evansville went 7-25 overall last year and finished 10th in the then 12-team MVC with a 3-17 conference record.
• The Purple Aces haven't won more than six games in Valley play since the 2016-17 season.
• Sophomore 5-foot-8 guard Camryn Runner, last season's MVC Freshman of the Year, leads Evansville in scoring (16.9 PPG), assists (4.9 APG) and steals (1.7 SPG). She is also second on the team in rebounding (5.6 RPG).
• Sophomore 5-foot-9 guard Logan Luebbers Palmer, who was selected as a player to watch by the MVC along with Runner and redshirt freshman 5-foot-10 guard Kylee Norkus, is also averaging double-figure scoring (10.7 PPG).
• Sophomore 5-foot-9 guard/forward Elle Snyder leads the Purple Aces in rebounding (5.7 RPG).

Up Next
Belmont returns to the Curb Saturday for a primetime rematch with Murray State. The top two teams in the MVC will tip off at 4 p.m. The marquee game will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+.
 
Tickets
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale and can be purchased by visiting BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or calling 615-460-BALL.
 
Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament
The 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament will be held Thursday-Sunday, March 12-15 in Coralville, Iowa, at Xtream Arena. All-session tournament passes are on sale now and can be purchased here. Rooms are also available for booking at the official Belmont fan hotel – Drury Inn & Suites.
 
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.