Women’s Basketball Returns to the Curb, Hosts UIC Friday Night

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following a stretch of five of six games on the road, the Belmont University women's basketball team returns to game action in the Music City Friday night when the Bruins host the University of Illinois Chicago. Tipoff from the Curb Event Center is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference home matchup will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+, with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Belmont forward Conley Chinn Merritt ('22) (analyst) 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.
 
Friday's game is being presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee and free toothbrushes provided by Delta Dental will be given away, while supplies last. It will also be community night at the Curb.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (14-9, 10-2 MVC) went 2-0 last weekend in Iowa, completing their first regular season sweep of Drake and remaining undefeated at Northern Iowa's McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.
• Belmont defeated the Panthers 70-58 last Saturday afternoon after topping the Bulldogs 67-52 last Thursday evening in Des Moines.
• The Bruins have won seven of their last eight true road games and are 7-4 at home this season.
• Belmont had its season-best six-game winning streak snapped at Murray State on Jan. 18. The Racers are the only team to defeat the Bruins in the Valley this season, also getting past Belmont 78-71 at the Curb on Jan. 31.
• The Bruins began MVC play 7-0, their best conference start since 2017-18 when Belmont completed its second consecutive undefeated season in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• The Bruins are 8-2 in 20216.
• With its 77-67 home win over Evansville on Dec. 17, Belmont secured its 10th-straight conference opening triumph.
• The Bruins played eight of nine games at home with two four-game homestands in December and January. Belmont had four of its six December games in the Curb and the Bruins' first four games of the new year were in the Music City.
• Junior guard Jailyn Banks has scored in double figures in all but one game she has played this season (14-of-15). With a free throw at the four-minute mark of the third quarter against Murray State on Jan. 31, Banks reached her 1,000th career point to become Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer. Last Thursday in the win at Drake, Banks scored a career-high 26 points, including tallying 22 in the second half on 7-for-12 shooting.
• 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 16 double-figure scoring games on the season and has posted at least 20 points four times in MVC play.
• Graduate guard Avery Strickland was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday, Feb. 2 after scoring a career-high 23 points and snagging a career-best eight rebounds in Belmont's overtime road win at Evansville on Jan. 29. Her four 20-point performances this season are tied with Fuller and Banks for the most of any Bruin.
• 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 their 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 favorites 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 shot a season-high 54.2 percent (26-of-48) in its road victory at Northern Iowa last weekend.
• After leading by only three at halftime, the Bruins outscored the Panthers 39-30 in the second half behind a blistering 66.7 percent (14-of-21) shooting clip and 5-for-8 marksmanship from beyond the arc.
• Trailing by five with just over four minutes to go in the first half, Belmont went on an 8-0 run to close the half. The Bruins then used a 10-2 run in the third quarter and a 9-2 start to the fourth to cement their dominance.
• Belmont led by as much as 16 in the fourth quarter.
• The Bruins outworked Northern Iowa 30-20 on the boards and 22-16 in points in the paint.
• With the road win, Belmont improved to 9-1 all-time versus the Panthers, including 4-0 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
• Jones captained the Bruins and Belmont got key contributions from Banks, Brodie, and sophomore guards Quinn Eubank and Sanaa Tripp.
• Shooting 6-for-9 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from three-point range, Jones tallied 18 points.
• Banks scored 14 points and distributed a season-high tying seven assists.
• Brodie notched 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds.
• Both Eubank and Tripp provided nine points and the two combined for nine boards.

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 eighth-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas. She is only the 11th Bruin to reach 1,500 career points and is second in scoring in Belmont's NCAA era (1,687 points).
• The Bruins' all-time steals leader (416), Jones is also Belmont's all-time leader in both games started (159) and games played (160).
• 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 the Bruins' 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 its 58th season as a program, Belmont has claimed the 15th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball (1,123).
• The Bruins entered 2025-26 with the 30th-best all-time winning percentage (.658).
• Belmont is 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.
• The Bruins' 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 199-42 (.826) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 225-49 (.821) 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 212-77 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 139-22 (.863) 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 156-26 (.857) 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 94-19 (.832).
• 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 is receiving the most votes (75) of teams not ranked in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 121-21 (.852) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .747 (219-74) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 97-20 (.829) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 105-15 (.875) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only nine league games at the Curb with a 71-9 (.888) record.
• For four-straight seasons and nine of the last 10, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus UIC

• Friday night will be just the seventh all-time meeting between Belmont and UIC.
• The Bruins have won all six of the previous matchups.
• Belmont won last year's two meetings by margins of nine (64-55) and 15 (67-52).
• The Bruins are 3-0 versus the Flames in Nashville, which includes last January's 67-52 triumph.
• Jones has reached double figures in each of the last four games against UIC.
• The two teams met in the 2024 MVC Tournament in Moline, Illinois, where No. 2 seed Belmont dispatched the seventh-seeded Flames 70-65 in the quarterfinals.
• UIC has never scored more than 65 points against the Bruins.

About the Flames

• The Flames (11-12, 6-6 MVC) are coming off a three-game homestand where they went 2-1 with wins over Evansville (68-65) and Valparaiso (76-57).
• UIC went 5-6 in non-conference play, and the Flames are 3-5 in true road games this season.
• A 66-48 win in Evansville, Indiana, on Jan. 16 and a 61-44 triumph in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Dec. 7 are UIC's only two road victories in MVC play.
• Last season, the Flames finished seventh in the Valley with a 10-10 MVC record. UIC reached the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament before bowing out to second-seeded Missouri State. The Flames received an at-large bid to the WNIT where they defeated UAB at home in the opening round before falling at Butler.
• UIC ranks in the top 40 nationally in turnovers per game (13.5).
• Senior 5-foot-7 guard Jessica Carrothers, an Indiana University Northwest and Butler transfer, is averaging a team-best 17.4 points and 3.9 assists per outing.
• Redshirt sophomore 6-foot forward Julia Coleman, a Texas State transfer, is also averaging double-figure scoring (14.8 PPG) and leads the Flames in rebounding (7.0 RPG).
• Sophomore 5-foot-6 guard TuTu Clayton is averaging 8.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

Up Next
Belmont hosts Valparaiso Sunday afternoon at the Curb. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. and the MVC matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+. Next weekend, the Bruins travel to Illinois State Friday, Feb. 20 and Bradley Sunday, Feb. 22.
 
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.