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Avery_Strickland_at_Evansville2026
79
Winner Belmont BEL 12-8,8-1 MVC
73
Evansville Evans 5-16,3-7 MVC
Winner
Belmont BEL
12-8,8-1 MVC
79
Final
73
Evansville Evans
5-16,3-7 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 F
Belmont BEL 5 26 10 18 20 79
Evansville Evans 13 13 18 15 14 73

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Bruins Outlast Purple Aces, 79-73, in OT Thursday Night on the Road

Belmont Overcomes Five-Point Deficit with Two-and-a-Half Minutes to Go

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – An and-one bucket from junior guard Jailyn Banks with 1:56 left in overtime put the Belmont University women's basketball team up for good Thursday night at the University of Evansville as the Bruins gutted out a 79-73 road victory in Missouri Valley Conference play. Returning to game action following an 11-day break due to the recent ice storm in the Music City, Belmont (12-8, 8-1 MVC) overcame a five-point deficit with just over two minutes remaining.
 
It was also Banks who provided the game-tying free throw with 21 seconds left in regulation. In fact, Banks had a look at a game-winning three-pointer right before the end of the fourth quarter with the score knotted at 59.
 
The Purple Aces (5-16, 3-7 MVC) led 58-53 with two-and-a-half minutes to go following a three by Sydney Huber, but the Bruins ended regulation on a 6-1 run. Key layups from graduate guard Avery Strickland put Belmont in position with 30 seconds left. Trailing by a point at 59-58, the Bruins got a pivotal defensive stop as Evansville's Camryn Runner lost her footing along the baseline.
 
Belmont outscored the Purple Aces 20-14 in overtime, going 13-for-16 at the free-throw line and getting 12 points from Banks. Despite Evansville scoring layups on its first two possessions of the extra period, the Bruins held their composure and responded.

Banks' go-ahead conventional three-point play in the last two minutes of overtime broke a 66-66 tie and graduate guard Tuti Jones knocked down a three-pointer with 52 seconds remaining to give Belmont a promising 74-68 lead. Banks and Jones made five clutch free throws in the closing 45 seconds of overtime. Jones came up with a de facto game-sealing steal with 18 ticks to go in overtime and the Bruins up 77-73. Sophomore guard Quinn Eubank snagged an offensive rebound on a missed free throw in the final 15 seconds, putting the game away for good. Banks was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line in overtime and Strickland was 4-for-4.

Belmont overcame a near season-low 28-percent shooting night (21-of-75) with a season-best 30-for-40 performance at the foul line.
 
The Bruins collected a season-high 56 rebounds, owning a plus-seven margin on the glass. Belmont also pulled down a season-high 20 offensive boards, which led to 13 second-chance points.

After trailing 13-5 following the opening 10 minutes of play, the Bruins scored 26 points in the second quarter to take a 31-26 halftime lead. Belmont's five first-quarter points were the second-fewest the Bruins have scored in a quarter this season.
 
Outscoring the Purple Aces 26-13, Belmont shot 50 percent (9-of-18) in the second quarter and went 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Hilary Fuller scored 10 of the Bruins' first 13 point and led all scorers at the break.

Evansville held Belmont to only two made field goals on 16.7 percent (2-of-12) shooting in the third quarter, outscoring the Bruins 18-10 to take a three-point, 44-41 lead into the fourth stanza. The Purple Aces' Runner connected on a deep ball in the last minute of the third to break a 41-all tie.

Turning up its defensive intensity, Belmont limited Evansville to 26.7 percent (4-of-15) shooting in the fourth quarter and forced seven turnovers. The Bruins came up with four steals in the period.
 
Edging the Purple Aces 18-15 in the fourth, Belmont got eight points from Strickland, who was 4-for-5 from the field in the quarter.

The Bruins kept Evansville scoreless for the first 3:27 of the fourth quarter and took a brief, two-point lead at 49-47 with 5:40 to go. Sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp capped an 8-3 Belmont run to start the fourth as she completed a traditional three-point play following a steal and outlet pass from Strickland. The Purple Aces then proceeded to go on an 11-4 scoring run over the ensuing three-and-a-half minutes of action to take their five-point, 58-53 lead heading down the stretch.

Evansville assisted on 21 of its 26 made baskets and the Purple Aces finished 9-for-28 (32.1 percent) from deep. Five different Evansville players accumulated at least four fouls and three Purple Aces fouled out.
 
The Bruins shot just 20.6 percent (7-of-34) in the second half and were 0-for-8 from distance.
 
Strickland finished with a career-high 23 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds. She was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
 
Making a season-high 14 free throws, Banks poured in 20 points and distributed a team-high five assists.
 
Jones notched her second double-double of the season and the fifth of her career with 12 points and a season-high tying 10 rebounds.
 
Fuller posted 13 points and eight boards.

Evansville's Runner registered the Purple Aces' first-ever triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Georgia Cox led Evansville in the scoring column with 23 points on 10-for-21 shooting. The Purple Aces also got 11 points from Huber and a game-high 11 boards from Elle Snyder.

Of Note
  • The 30 made free throws are the most in a game for Belmont since going 30-for-34 at the charity stripe in a 69-56 win at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 1, 2014.
  • The 40 free-throw attempts are the most for the Bruins since attempting 41 in an 80-66 home win over Tennessee State on Dec. 7, 2010.
  • The overtime game is Belmont's first since a 98-87 home victory over Troy on Dec. 20, 2022.
  • The Bruins have won four consecutive overtime games going back to the first round of the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, which was also played in Evansville, Indiana, at the Ford Center.
  • Ninth-year head coach Bart Brooks improves to 5-2 in overtime games.
  • Belmont improves to 8-0 against Evansville since joining the MVC.
  • It marks the second time this season the Bruins have had two 20-point scorers in the same game – Jones (22) and Strickland (20) both reached 20 points in Belmont's win at Indiana State two weeks ago.
  • Strickland has scored at least 20 points four times this season, while Banks has hit the 20-point mark three times.
Up Next
The Bruins return to the Curb Event Center Saturday for a primetime rematch with Murray State. The top two teams in the Valley will tip off from Nashville 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.
 
#ItsBruinTime
 
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