Bruins Host Drake Friday Night

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Continuing its second four-game homestand of the season, the Belmont University women's basketball team welcomes Drake University to the Curb Event Center Friday night. Tipoff from the Music City is slated for 6:30 p.m.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference matchup will be broadcast 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.
 
"It's Bruin Time" basketball shooter sleeves will be given away to all fans in attendance beginning one hour prior to tipoff, while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (8-7, 4-0 MVC) are off to a 4-0 start in MVC play for just the second time (2023-24) since joining the Valley four seasons ago.
• Belmont went 3-0 last week in the first full week of MVC play, defeating Southern Illinois 68-56 on the road before earning home wins over Bradley (78-57) and Illinois State (75-68) over the weekend.
• The Bruins began MVC play with a 77-67 home victory over the University of Evansville on Dec. 17. It was Belmont's 10th-straight conference opening win.
• In the midst of their second four-game homestand in nine games, the Bruins played four of their six December games in the Curb and Belmont's first four games of the new year are in Nashville.
• The Bruins are 5-3 at home this season.
• Sophomore forward Hilary Fuller has been sensational as of late. The Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, native has reached at least 17 points in six of her last seven outings, including each of her last five. She leads Belmont with 12 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 (9-of-10). After being out with injury for nearly a month, Banks returned this past weekend and totaled 35 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists across the Bruins' two wins. She is only 39 points away from becoming Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer.
• Junior center KK Brodie has scored a season-high 12 points in consecutive games and has missed only one shot over her last two outings (11-for-12).
• 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 – graduate guard Tuti 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 Brodie (Pepperdine).

Last Time Out

• Winning their third straight for the first time this season, the Bruins overcame an eight-point halftime deficit against the Redbirds of Illinois State this past Sunday afternoon at the Curb.
• Belmont outscored the Redbirds 45-30 in the second half after trailing 38-30 at the break.
• For the eighth time of the season, the Bruins recorded double-digit steals with 13 takeaways. Belmont scored 25 points off 21 Illinois State turnovers while committing just 11 turnovers of its own.
• The Bruins put together a 10-0 scoring run to start the second half and ended the game on a 10-3 run over the final two-and-a-half minutes.
• A clutch, deep wing three-pointer by Banks with 2:21 left broke a 65-65 tie and back-to-back baskets by Fuller put Belmont up seven with less than a minute to go.
• The Bruins relied heavily on their post play and Fuller and Brodie were nearly unstoppable. Belmont outworked the Redbirds 40-30 in the paint and Fuller and Brodie combined for 23 of the Bruins' first 24 points.
• Shooting 47.5 percent (29-of-61), Belmont overcame a minus-13 rebounding deficit (42-29).
• Fuller scored a career-high 27 points, including 17 in the first half, on a career-best 11 made field goals and pulled down a career-high tying nine rebounds. She also added a pair of blocks, a steal and an assist.
• Scoring 10 points in the pivotal fourth quarter on 3-for-5 shooting, including going 2-for-2 from deep, Banks finished with 18 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals.
• Brodie scored a season-high 12 points for the second consecutive game going 6-for-6 from the floor, while Strickland notched nine points and dished out a career-best five assists.

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 19th-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas. She is only the 11th Bruin to reach 1,500 career points.
• Belmont's NCAA era leader in steals (395) and all-time leader in both games started (151) and games played (152), Jones is third among active career steals leaders across all divisions of college basketball. Jones needs just 10 more steals to set the Bruins' all-time steals record.
• 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 (1,117).
• 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 193-40 (.828) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 219-47 (.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 206-75 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 133-20 (.869) 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 150-24 (.862) 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. 6/6 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 back into the mid-major rankings and checks in at No. 23 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 119-20 (.856) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .748 (217-73) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 95-19 (.833) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 103-14 (.880) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only eight league games at the Curb with a 69-8 (.896) record.
• For four-straight seasons and nine of the last 10, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus Drake

• Friday night will be only the eighth all-time meeting between Belmont and the Bulldogs.
• Drake has won five of the seven previous meetings, including a high-scoring 88-83 win at the Curb last February.
• The Bruins have split regular season games with the Bulldogs two of the last three seasons, including an 80-65 road triumph in Des Moines, Iowa, last January.
• Belmont is 1-2 versus Drake in the Curb with its lone home win over the Bulldogs taking place on Feb. 25, 2023 (83-77).
• The two teams met in the 2023 MVC Tournament championship game, an 89-71 win for Drake in the Bruins' first year in the Valley.
• In last year's matchup in Nashville, the two teams combined for 23 made three-pointers as Belmont went 11-for-24 (45.8 percent) from deep.
• Jones averaged 19 points on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) shooting and 5.0 assists last season against the Bulldogs.
• Drake's Katie Dinnebier scored a Curb Event Center single-game record 42 points in last February's meeting. Trailing by as much as 19 in the first half and 14 in the fourth quarter, the Bruins got within a possession twice in the final three minutes.

About the Bulldogs

• Despite being off to a 3-0 start in MVC play, the Bulldogs are 4-9 on the season.
• Drake went through an eight-game losing streak during its non-conference schedule after beginning the season with an 83-65 road win at Eastern Illinois.
• The Bulldogs own MVC road victories at Indiana State (97-77) and the University of Illinois Chicago (78-62) and are coming off an 89-75 home win over Southern Illinois last Friday evening.
• Despite being picked to finish fourth in the Valley in the preseason, Drake received four first-place votes.
• The Bulldogs won back-to-back MVC Tournaments in 2023 and 2024 and went 19-1 in conference play during the 2023-24 season en route to capturing the Valley's regular season crown.
• Last season, Drake tied with Belmont for third in the final MVC standings, going 15-5 in league play and 22-12 overall. The Bulldogs also received an at-large bid to the WBIT but were ousted in the opening round at home by Marquette.
• Senior 5-foot-9 guard Abbie Aalsma, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, is averaging a team-leading 16.9 points and 1.3 steals per game.
• Sophomore 5-foot-10 guard Grace Knutson is also averaging double-figure scoring (11.8 PPG), while sophomore 6-foot-2 forward Taylor Maggie leads Drake in rebounding (6.9 RPG) and is averaging 8.6 points per outing.
• Senior 5-foot-9 guard Ava Hawthorne leads the Bulldogs in assists (3.3 APG).

Up Next
The Bruins close out their four-game homestand Sunday afternoon versus Northern Iowa. Tipoff from the Curb is set for 2 p.m. The MVC matinee matchup will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+.
 
Season 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 for the 2025-26 season are also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
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.