Women’s Basketball Set for Rematch with Murray State Saturday Afternoon at the Curb

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the second time in two weeks, the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference will meet as the Belmont University women's basketball team hosts Murray State University Saturday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center in the Music City. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
 
The marquee MVC matchup will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+, with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin forward Conley Chinn Merritt ('22) on the call. The game can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online. Live stats of the contest can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Saturday's game is a red out with all fans attending the game highly encouraged to wear red. Belmont-branded red cowboy hats will be given away to all students in attendance, while supplies last.
 
The men's game between Belmont and Murray State will follow at 7 p.m.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (12-8, 8-1 MVC) earned a 79-73 overtime victory at the University of Evansville Thursday evening, overcoming a five-point deficit with less than two-and-a-half minutes to go in regulation.
• Thursday's game was the first for Belmont in 11 days after last weekend's home matchup with Southern Illinois was postponed to Monday, March 2 due to the recent ice storm in Nashville.
• The Bruins were defeated 69-48 by the Racers on Sunday, Jan. 18 in Murray, Kentucky. The loss snapped Belmont's season-best six-game winning streak and was the Bruins' only stumble in MVC play.
• 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.
• Belmont is 7-3 at home this season.
• The Bruins are 6-1 in 2026.
• Belmont began MVC play with a 77-67 home win over Evansville 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 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 85-77 win at Indiana State 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 15 double-figure scoring games on the season.
• Junior guard Jailyn Banks has scored in double figures in all but one game she has played this season (11-of-12). She is only six points away from becoming Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer.
• Graduate guard Avery Strickland leads the Bruins with four 20-point games this season.
• Belmont faced three top-15 ranked Southeastern Conference opponents during non-conference play. The Bruins 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 Belmont's 72-66 road win at Dayton on 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 favorite 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 – 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

• Belmont trailed the Purple Aces 58-53 with just over two minutes left before Banks sunk a free throw with 21 seconds remaining to tie the game at 59. After Jones grabbed an offensive rebound on Banks' second free throw miss, Banks' would-be game-winning deep, step-back jumper hit the front iron, sending the road affair into overtime.
• The Bruins outscored Evansville 20-14 in overtime as Belmont went 13-for-16 at the free-throw line.
• Banks accounted for 12 of the Bruins' 20 points in overtime, going 8-for-8 at the foul line. Strickland and Jones provided the other eight points in the extra period with Strickland going 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.
• An offensive rebound by sophomore guard Quinn Eubank led to Banks' go-ahead and-one layup with 1:56 left in overtime that broke a 66-all tie and put Belmont up for good.
• Jones knocked down a three-pointer with 52 seconds to go in overtime to give the Bruins a 74-68 lead. Banks and Jones made five clutch free throws in the closing 45 seconds, and Jones came up with a de facto game-sealing steal with 18 seconds remaining.
• Belmont overcame 28 percent (21-of-75) shooting with a season-best 30-for-40 performance at the free-throw line.
• The Bruins tallied a season-high 56 rebounds, including a season-high 20 on the offensive glass.
• Belmont used a 26-13 second quarter to take a 31-26 halftime lead after trailing 13-5 at the end of the opening quarter.
• The Bruins shot just 20.6 percent (7-of-34) in the second half and were 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.
• The 30 made free throws were 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 were the most for the Bruins since attempting 41 in an 80-66 home win over Tennessee State on Dec. 7, 2010.
• It was Belmont's first overtime game since a 98-87 home victory over Troy on Dec. 20, 2022.
• 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.
• It was the second game this season in which two Bruins reached 20 points – Jones (22) and Strickland (20) both hit the 20-point mark in Belmont's win over the Sycamores in Terre Haute, Indiana, two weeks ago.

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.

1,500 Points and All-Tournament Team Honors

• Jones reached 1,500 career points with her 19-point performance versus now 11th-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 (409), Jones is also the Bruins' all-time leader in both games started (156) and games played (157).
• 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 (1,121).
• 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 197-41 (.828) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 223-48 (.823) 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 210-76 record. His 73.4 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 137-21 (.867) 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 154-25 (.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.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 121-20 (.858) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .750 (219-73) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 97-19 (.836) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 105-14 (.882) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only eight league games at the Curb with a 71-8 (.899) record.
• For four-straight seasons and nine of the last 10, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus Murray State

• Saturday will be the 32nd all-time meeting between Belmont and Murray State with the Bruins holding a commanding 24-7 lead in the series.
• The Racers have won each of the last three matchups, including last year's Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament championship game (83-62) inside the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
• Belmont trailed by double digits from the 1:09 mark of the first quarter onward in its loss at Murray State two weekends ago. The Bruins went 0-for-10 from outside, their first game without a made three-pointer since Nov. 25, 2012, at Florida Gulf Coast. The Racers outrebounded Belmont 53-32 and scored 21 points off 14 Bruin turnovers.
• On Feb. 1 last year, Belmont defeated Murray State 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 deep, the Bruins overcame an 11-point second quarter with a 33-point third period. Belmont scored 61 points in the second half, the most in a half in the Bruins' 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, Belmont had won eight of the previous nine games against the Racers.
• The Bruins have won 19 of the last 24 meetings in the conference rivalry dating back to the 2000-01 season.
• Belmont and Murray State have split eight matchups since the two programs joined the MVC prior to the 2022-23 season.
• The Bruins went 14-1 versus the Racers during Belmont's 10-year run in the OVC.

About the Racers

• Murray State (18-3, 9-1 MVC) suffered its first MVC loss of the season at Northern Iowa (89-74) last Friday evening. The setback snapped a 14-game winning streak.
• The Racers are coming off a 79-75 home win over Southern Illinois Thursday night after edging Drake 89-88 last Sunday afternoon. Guard Halli Poock hit a game-winning jumper with two seconds left.
• Murray State was picked second behind the Bruins 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 83.7 points per game, the Racers lead the Valley and are ranked 15th nationally in scoring.
• Murray State leads the nation in made free throws per outing (21.1) and is second in the country in free-throw percentage (81.6).
• Junior 6-foot-2 forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, a four-time MVC Newcomer of the Week and an Indiana transfer, is tied for the most double-doubles in the nation this season (15). Her 11.7 rebounds per game are tied for the fifth-most nationally and she is averaging 19.2 points per contest.
• Junior 5-foot-6 guard Poock, an All-MVC Second Team selection last season, leads the MVC and is ranked 14th in the nation in scoring (20.4 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 16.8 points and 3.5 assists per game.
• Junior 5-foot-10 guard Keslyn Secrist, an Indiana State transfer, is averaging 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per outing.

Up Next
Belmont heads to Iowa next week, taking on Drake Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in Des Moines before visiting Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls next Saturday.
 
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.