PRINCETON, N.J. — Despite holding Princeton University to 35 percent shooting and outscoring the host Tigers 21-14 in the third quarter, the Belmont University women's basketball team was handed a 63-52 loss on opening night Monday in Princeton, New Jersey. The Bruins (0-1) fought their way back from a seven-point deficit and took a 44-43 lead with seven-and-a-half minutes to go on a Kate McGinnis 3-pointer. However, Princeton (1-0) closed the game on a 20-8 run.
 
The Tigers' Fadima Tall, who finished with 29 points and 22 rebounds, scored 16 of Princeton's 24 points in the fourth quarter.
 
Belmont jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the opening five minutes of action before trailing the majority of the second quarter. The Bruins were held to 3-for-17 from the field in the second quarter as the Tigers led 25-18 at the half.
 
After going down seven, Belmont closed the gap to a single point at 19-18 with 2:17 left in the first half thanks to a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Tatum Woodson and a jumper by freshman guard Chelby Jordan. Princeton ended the first half on a 6-0 run.
 
The Bruins got back within a point once again three minutes into the second half with a 3-pointer from graduate guard Katie Criswell and a layup by Jordan making it 29-28. Jordan scored seven of Belmont's first 10 points of the second half.
 
After the Tigers took a 37-30 lead at the 3:42 mark of the third quarter, the Bruins went on a 9-2 run sparked by a jumper from graduate guard Kenley McCarn. Junior guard Quinn Eubank capped a 7-0 Belmont run with her layup knotting the score at 37 with 1:20 remaining in the third. Eubank fought for an offensive rebound and laid it in to tie things up once more at 39 going into the pivotal fourth quarter.
 
The Bruins shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) in the third stanza and were 2-for-2 from outside the arc.
 
McCarn kept the score even at 41 early in the fourth before sophomore guard McGinnis' go-ahead three. From there, Princeton's Tall took over, knocking down consecutive 3-pointers.
 
A pair of Tall free throws blossomed the Tigers lead to nine at 53-44 with 2:40 to go. A Eubank floater and a steal and score by Jordan quickly cut Princeton's lead down to five at 53-48 with two minutes left. Belmont was unable to get a stop on the Tigers' next possession, though, and was forced to foul inside a minute, even after McCarn kept the Bruins within five with less than 90 seconds remaining.
 
After a tough Jordan jumper made it a seven-point game at 59-52, Princeton left the door slightly ajar with two missed free throws on its ensuing trip down the floor with 26 seconds left. However, McGinnis couldn't get another three to fall.
 
The Tigers outscored Belmont 24-13 in the fourth quarter, going 14-for-16 at the foul line.
 
The Bruins shot 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half inside Jadwin Gymnasium and Jordan, McCarn and Eubank combined for 28 of Belmont's 34 points.
 
Princeton outrebounded the Bruins 44-33.
 
Belmont outscored the Tigers 26-18 in the paint.
 
Making her debut as a Bruin, McCarn scored a team-high 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting. In her collegiate debut, Jordan filled the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, four assists, four rebounds, four steals, and a block.
 
Eubank nearly had a double-double with a team-best nine rebounds and eight points.
 
Princeton's Tall scored 23 of her game-high 29 points in the second half.
 
The Tigers' Skye Belker had nine points and a game-high five assists.
 
Of Note

• It marked the second-straight year Belmont faced Princeton.
• The Bruins played only their second game in the Northeast in recent history (at Penn State in the second round of the 2024 WBIT).
• McCarn is now up to 1,531 career points.
• Criswell (3), Woodson (3) and freshman forward Samiya Jones (1) also scored their first Belmont points.
• Sophomore guard Rylie Beers made her Bruin debut as well.

Up Next
Belmont begins a five-game homestand this weekend by hosting the four-team Nashville Opening Statement at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins take on South Florida Friday at 7:30 p.m. before facing Columbia Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Both games and all four Opening Statement contests 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. Bruin Club memberships are also available.
 
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.