NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind balanced scoring and 26 forced turnovers, the Belmont University women's basketball team topped visiting Drake University 78-69 Friday night inside the Curb Event Center in Nashville. Winning their fourth straight, the Bruins (9-7, 5-0 MVC) stay unblemished in Missouri Valley Conference play.
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A gritty ending and 22-15 fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the Music City as redshirt junior guard
Claire Hyde hit a three-pointer with 1:12 left to put Belmont up eight at 74-66, essentially clinching the victory. The Bruins ended the game on a 9-3 run in the closing two-and-a-half minutes.
Making a season-high 10 blocks, Belmont came up with 15 steals, the second-most in any game this season. It marks the ninth time this season the Bruins have registered at least 10 steals.
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Belmont scored 36 points off the Bulldogs' offensive miscues.
The Bruins were able to overcome a minus-26 (49-23) rebounding deficit as Drake (4-10, 3-1 MVC) collected 23 offensive rebounds.
However, Belmont seemed to win nearly every 50/50 ball and made key plays down the stretch. Graduate guard
Tuti Jones knocked down four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win following a drawn charge by Hyde, which was upgraded to a flagrant on the Bulldogs' Brooklin Dailey.
Four Bruins scored in double figures led by Jones' 21 points, 11 of which came in the pivotal fourth quarter. Both graduate guard
Avery Strickland and junior guard
Jailyn Banks scored 13 points, while sophomore forward
Hilary Fuller tallied 10 points.
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Belmont put together a 43-point second half on 59.3 percent (16-of-27) shooting after leading 35-32 at the break.
Not allowing Drake to get going offensively, the Bruins jumped out to a 9-4 lead four minutes in on a Banks three. A Fuller jumper gave Belmont an 11-5 advantage before the Bulldogs strung together seven-straight points. The Bruins trailed 18-16 following the opening quarter after Drake ended the frame on a 13-5 scoring run.
The first five minutes of the second quarter were all Belmont with freshman forward
Leah West stepping out and hitting a triple to put the Bruins up 28-20. Moments later, Jones completed Belmont's 13-2 run with a free throw making it 29-20 with five minutes to go in the half.
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From there, the Bulldogs went on a 12-1 run to retake a 32-30 lead on four consecutive points by Grace Knutson with 1:13 left in the half. After Strickland grabbed an offensive board, Jones connected on her first triple right before the halftime buzzer.
The Bruins held Drake to 35.5 percent (11-of-31) shooting, including 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from outside, in the first half. Banks scored 10 of her 13 across the first 20 minutes of action.
After neither team was able to create much separation early in the second half, Jones generated a steal and finished a fastbreak layup to give Belmont a four-point, 46-42 with 4:35 remaining in the third. Speedy layups from Fuller capped a 12-3 Bruin run and extended Belmont's lead out to eight at 53-45 with less than three minutes left in the quarter.
A three-pointer by the Bulldogs' Quinn Vice trimmed the Bruins' lead to two at 56-54 going into the final period.
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Despite shooting 53.3 percent (8-of-15) in the third stanza, Belmont was outscored 22-21. Fuller scored eight of her 10 in the quarter.
Junior center
KK Brodie put the Bruins back on top by five at 63-58 with 7:39 left and kept Belmont in front by a handful with a tip-in with 4:55 to go. Strickland came up with a key steal with just under two-and-a-half minutes remaining and the Bruins up only three at 69-66. Sophomore guard
Sanaa Tripp finished at the rim on Strickland's outlet pass to make it 71-66 with 2:21 left.
Belmont doubled down on defense on Drake's next two possessions and forced turnovers, setting up Hyde for her clutch three in the final 75 seconds.
The Bruins shot a blistering 66.7 percent (8-of-12) in the all-important fourth quarter and were 2-for-4 from deep.
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Belmont outscored the Bulldogs 43-37 in the second half and went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Jones tallied 15 second-half points on 5-for-9 shooting.
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Banks distributed a team-high four assists and sophomore guard
Quinn Eubank provided a team-best seven rebounds and a career-high four steals. Brodie made a career-high tying and season-high five blocks.
Aalsma led Drake with 18 points, and the Bulldogs got a combined 30 points off their bench from Dailey (16) and Knutson (14). Drake's Maggie Taylor posted a game-high nine rebounds.
Of Note
- The win is just the Bruins' third against the Bulldogs and Belmont's first versus Drake in the Curb since Feb. 25, 2023.
- The Bruins totaled 10 blocks in a game for the first time since a 56-54 home win over Chattanooga in the 2022-23 season opener on Nov. 9, 2022.
- Jones joins Banks, Fuller and Strickland as players with multiple 20-point games this season.
- Already Belmont's NCAA era steals leader, Jones (397) needs only eight more steals to become the Bruins' all-time steals leader.
- Banks is only 26 points away from becoming Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer.
Up Next
The Bruins close out their second 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+.
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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
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Belmont Women's Basketball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via theÂ
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