Women’s Hoops Welcomes Troy for Education Game Friday Morning

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Friday morning, the Belmont University women's basketball team will take on Troy University inside the Curb Event Center in Music City in an education day game. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
 
The early game will broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin guard Jenny Roy Bream ('19) (analyst) on the call. Landen Secrest will be reporting from the sideline. The home game can also be heard on Belmont All-Access, available online, and live stats of the contest can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Education Day
Students from local elementary schools will be in attendance cheering on Belmont and taking in the Bruins' gameday experience.
 
What's Bruin

• Last weekend, Belmont was one of two hosts for the inaugural Opening Statement, a new cross-conference event featuring the top teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, American Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference and Ivy League.
• The Bruins hosted South Florida, Columbia and Rhode Island for four total games played on Friday and Sunday. Belmont took on the Bulls of South Florida last Friday before facing the Lions of Columbia this past Sunday afternoon.
• Freshman standout guard Chelby Jordan was selected as MVC Freshman of the Week Monday following the opening week of the season.
• Through three games, Jordan leads the Bruins in scoring (15.0 PPG), assists (4.0 APG) and steals (2.7 SPG).
• Against Columbia Sunday, Jordan registered her first 20-point game by going 8-for-12 from the floor. She also dished out a game-best five assists and grabbed five rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Kate McGinnis has been on a tear from beyond the arc, going 10-for-17 (.588) from distance last weekend. Last Friday, she torched the nets from outside by going 6-for-8 from deep for a career-high 18 points in only 14:21 on the court.
• Graduate guard Kenley McCarn, like Jordan, has scored in double figures in her first three games donning the Belmont jersey. Through three outings, McCarn is shooting a team-leading 47.2 percent from the field.
• Recent Bruin guard Tuti Jones (2021-26), Belmont's all-time steals leader and the only player in the program's NCAA era to record 1,500 points, 500 assists and 700 rebounds, is a native of Troy, Alabama.
• The Bruins (0-3) began their 59th season as a program and 10th under head coach Bart Brooks on Monday, Nov. 2 in New Jersey at receiving-votes Princeton.
• Belmont won 20 games for the 11th-straight season last year, going 20-12 overall and 16-4 in the MVC.
• The Bruins finished second in the MVC in 2025-26, marking the 10th time in 11 seasons Belmont finished first or second in its conference.
• The Bruins were picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll behind two-time defending regular season and tournament champion Murray State (first) and Illinois State (second).
• Belmont lost four of its five starters from last season and returned only four letter winners — starting guard Quinn Eubank, fifth-year center KK Brodie, sophomore forward Leah West and McGinnis.
• The Bruins returned only 19.8 percent of their scoring, 32.9 percent of their rebounding and 18.2 percent of their assists from last season.
• However, Belmont features five newcomers — graduate transfer guard Katie Criswell (North Alabama), freshman forward Samiya Jones (Memphis, Tenn.), Jordan (Trenton, Tenn.), McCarn (UT Martin) and senior transfer forward Lauren Rust (Pittsburgh).

Last Time Out

• The Bruins led now receiving-votes Columbia after one quarter of play Sunday afternoon but were defeated 84-64 after the visiting Lions shot 50 percent from the field and went 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) from distance.
• Belmont struggled from three-point range, going 5-for-22, and was outrebounded 42-31. Columbia scored 22 points off 17 Bruin turnovers.
• The Lions put together a 17-5 scoring run over a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter and scored 29 points in the final stanza, going up 74-53 with five minutes to go.
• Belmont forced 19 Columbia turnovers, which led to 18 points.
• It was the first-ever matchup between the Bruins and the Lions and just Belmont's fifth game against an Ivy League school.

Preseason Honors

• Eubank, Brodie, McCarn and Rust were all named to the 2026-27 MVC Players to Watch List.
• McCarn was also tabbed Preseason All-MVC by Basket Under Review.
• A native of Union, Kentucky (Ryle HS), Eubank led the Bruins in rebounding last year (6.8 RPG) and reached double-figure boards eight times. She also led Belmont in double-doubles (4), averaged 6.9 points per game and shot a team-best 41.4 percent (29-of-70) from beyond the arc.
• After transferring to the Music City from Pepperdine last year, Brodie averaged 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 assists in her first season as a Bruin. The Columbia, Missouri (Rock Bridge HS), native ranked 27th nationally in blocks per game and was 34th in the nation in total blocks (58) in 2025-26. Brodie scored in double figures on six occasions, including two of the last three games of the season.
• A three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, McCarn spent the last four years at the University of Tennessee at Martin where she eclipsed 1,500 points. A two-time All-OVC First Team performer, McCarn totaled 1,516 points in just over three seasons of action, collected 447 rebounds, distributed 228 assists and earned 140 steals. A native of Melbourne, Arkansas (Melbourne HS), McCarn has averaged 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game for her career. She is an 85.6 percent (237-of-277) career free-throw shooter.
• McCarn's 1,560 career points are the 21st-most among active NCAA Division I players.
• Rust spent her first three seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference at the University of Pittsburgh where she played in 47 games and made 23 starts for the Panthers. The Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (The Webb School), native averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29 games and 19 starts at Pitt last season. She posted double-figure rebounds in five games and scored in double figures four times last year.

A Winning Program

• In 59 seasons, Belmont has claimed the 15th-most victories (1,129) among all NCAA Division I women's basketball programs.
• The Bruins entered 2026-27 tied for 29th in all-time winning percentage (.658).
• Belmont is one of only seven teams in the nation to have won 20-plus games for 11-straight seasons. UConn, South Carolina, Baylor, Iowa, NC State and South Dakota State are the only others.
• The Bruins' 72.1 winning percentage (222-86) 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 11 consecutive seasons in both women's and men's basketball.

A Championship Program

• The Bruins (11) are one of only seven programs in the country to have won 10 or more conference championships, regular season and tournament combined, over the previous 10 seasons. UConn (20), Florida Gulf Coast (16), South Carolina (14), Princeton (12), South Dakota State (12) and Green Bay (10) are the only others.
• Since the 2015-16 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 over the last six seasons, 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 14 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 earned an at-large bid to the 2025 and 2024 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) and the 2023 WNIT.
• Playing into April for the first time in school history, the Bruins rattled off four wins in the 2025 WBIT. Hosting in the first two rounds, Belmont took out nearby Middle Tennessee in the opening round before overcoming 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 in March of 2025 tied for the largest deficit overcome to win any NCAA postseason game in Division I women's basketball history.

Conference Dominance

• Including last season, Belmont has finished first or second in its conference in 10 of the last 11 seasons.
• The Bruins have finished in the top three of their conference in 14 of the last 15 seasons, including each of the last 11.
• Belmont has played in a conference tournament championship game in eight of the last 11 years.
• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 205-44 (.823) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 231-51 (.819) against league opponents across the last 14 seasons.

Head Coach Bart Brooks

• In 10 seasons, coach Brooks has compiled a remarkable 218-83 record. His 72.4 winning percentage ranks among the top 30 of active head coaches in Division I women's basketball.
• Coach Brooks is the only active Division I head coach to have won a conference championship, either regular season or tournament, in each of his first six seasons as a head coach.
• No other current Division I head coach with nine seasons or fewer under their belt has won more games than coach Brooks.
• On Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, coach Brooks earned his 200th career win with the Bruins' 72-66 road victory at Dayton. He reached the career milestone in just 270 games as a head coach.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 145-24 (.858) in conference action with nine combined 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 162-29 (.848) against conference opponents.
• Over the last nine postseasons, coach Brooks has gone 24-12 (.667).
• In the key months of February and March under coach Brooks' direction, Belmont is 100-22 (.820).
• Coach Brooks was the third-fastest head coach to reach 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

• The Bruins annually play one of the most impressive non-conference schedules in the nation.
• Belmont will see eight teams who reached national postseason play last March, including five 2026 NCAA Tournament Teams (Princeton, Tennessee, LSU, Iowa State, Vanderbilt) and 2026 WBIT champion Columbia, during its non-conference slate.
• Nine of the Bruins' 12 non-conference opponents were ranked in the top 100 of last year's NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, including six who were in the top 50 — LUS (No. 3), Vanderbilt (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 25), Iowa State (No. 33), Princeton (No. 37) and Columbia (No. 45).
• Additionally, 11 of Belmont's 12 non-conference opponents had a winning record in 2025-26 and seven reached at least 20 wins.
• The Bruins' non-conference schedule also includes a prestigious MTE (multi-team event) in the Bahamas for a second-straight year as Belmont will take part in the 2026 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship over Thanksgiving weekend. Held at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas, the Bruins will face Iowa State (Nov. 27) and Marquette (Nov. 29) in the island MTE.

Mid-Major Rankings

• Belmont is receiving 51 votes, the third most of teams not ranked, in the first CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll of the season.
• Troy is 19th in the week one mid-major top-25 rankings.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 125-23 (.845) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .746 (223-76) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 101-22 (.821) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 109-15 (.879) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only nine league games at the Curb with a 75-9 (.893) record.
• For five-straight seasons and 10 of the last 11, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus Troy

• Friday morning will be the 19th all-time meeting between Belmont and the Trojans with the Bruins leading 13-5 in the series.
• The two teams have played two of the top four highest-scoring women's basketball games in Curb Event Center history.
• In Troy's last visit to the Curb on Dec. 20, 2022, Belmont won a 98-87 overtime thriller. The Bruins outscored the Trojans 18-7 in overtime and connected on 15 3-pointers, thanks in large part to graduate guard Sydni Harvey going 10-for-12 from deep. The 185 combined points were the third-most in a women's basketball game in the Curb.
• On Nov. 29, 2015, Belmont defeated Troy 102-93 in Nashville. The 195 combined points represent the most points scored in a women's game in arena history.
• The Bruins and the Trojans last met on Nov. 29, 2023, in Troy, Alabama, where Belmont topped Troy 72-68 in a tightly-contested matchup. After the Bruins built a 22-10 lead in the first quarter, Belmont was outscored 58-50 across the second through fourth quarters.
• The Bruins are 7-1 against the Trojans at home.
• Belmont and Troy met eight times as conference adversaries when both programs were members of the ASUN.

Against the Sun Belt

• The Bruins are 30-16 all-time against current Sun Belt Conference teams.

About the Trojans

• The Trojans (2-1) were defeated 79-57 Wednesday night at Mississippi State. Troy committed 17 first-half turnovers and finished with 26. The Trojans trailed 28-4 following the first 10 minutes of action.
• Troy's two victories are an 89-78 season-opening road win at Kent State and a 104-36 home rout of NAIA Thomas University.
• Last season, the Trojans went 25-8 and finished second in the Sun Belt with a 15-3 conference record, earning an at-large bid to the WBIT.
• Troy was picked second in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll but did not receive a first-place vote.
• Led by 15th-year head coach Chanda Rigby, the Trojans have won at least 22 games for three consecutive seasons.
• First-year 6-foot guard Hannah Smith is averaging a team-leading 18 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals through three games.
• Fifth-year 5-foot-9 guard Aniya Hubbard, a Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team selection and the 2022-23 Conference USA Freshman of the Year while at Florida Atlantic, is averaging 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals through Troy's first three outings.
• Second-year 5-foot-8 guard Saniya Jackson is averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, a team-best 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals through the Trojans' first three contests of the season.
• As a team, Troy is averaging 13.3 steals and 8 blocks through its first three games.

Up Next
Belmont continues its five-game homestand Tuesday night with a visit from eight-time national champion Tennessee. Tipoff of the highly-anticipated home game is set for 6:30 p.m. The marquee matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Season Tickets
Basketball season tickets, which include all Belmont women's and men's home games, are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting BelmontBruins.com/Tickets. Belmont Bruin Club memberships are also available.
 
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