DES MOINES, Iowa – Behind a career-high 26 points from junior guard
Jailyn Banks and a double-double from sophomore guard
Quinn Eubank, the Belmont University women's basketball team topped Drake University 67-52 Thursday evening inside the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bruins (13-9, 9-2 MVC) outpaced the host Bulldogs (6-16, 5-7 MVC) 41-27 in the second half after a sluggish start as Banks scored 22 of her 26 across the second 20 minutes of play.
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Belmont held Drake to 34 percent (17-of-50) shooting, including 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from beyond the arc, and outscored the Bulldogs 24-15 in the all-important fourth quarter. Going 3-for-6 from three-point range, the Bruins shot 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the field in the fourth and were 7-for-8 at the free-throw line.
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Owning a plus-six advantage on the glass (41-35), Belmont limited Drake to eight offensive rebounds. The Bruins scored 26 of their 67 points off 19 Bulldog turnovers and came up with 13 steals, including nine takeaways in the second half.
With the road victory, Belmont completes its first regular season sweep of Drake.
Banks set the tone just before the midway point of the third quarter and didn't let up the rest of the way. Going 5-for-8 from the floor in the quarter, Banks scored 13 of the Bruins' 17 points in the third. She was a perfect 5-for-5 at the foul line in the fourth and shot 7-for-12 in the second half.
Eubank snagged a career-high tying 14 rebounds and scored 10 points for her team-leading third double-double of the season.
Fellow sophomore guard
Sanaa Tripp also reached double-figure scoring for the eighth time this season with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
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The Bulldogs began 3-for-5 from distance and led 17-14 after the first quarter. After Drake jumped out to a 13-3 lead a little over six-and-a-half minutes in, Belmont went on an 11-2 run to trim the deficit to a point on a Eubank three-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go in the opening stanza.
The Bruins kept the Bulldogs to only one made field goal in the second quarter on 1-for-14 (7.1 percent) shooting.
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A Eubank offensive board and layup with just over six minutes left in the first half gave Belmont its first lead of the evening at 20-18. From there, Drake outscored the Bruins 7-1 over the next five-plus minutes of action to take a 25-21 lead with less than a minute to go before halftime.
However, both Tripp and graduate guard
Tuti Jones made a pair of great plays in the final 45 seconds of the half. Tripp knocked down a three before Jones came up with a steal on the Bulldogs' ensuing possession and found Tripp for an easy layin to put Belmont back in front, 26-25, at the break.
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Eubank had 10 rebounds and seven points at the half as the Bruins held Drake to 27.6 percent (8-of-29) first-half shooting.
A little over a minute into the second half, junior center
KK Brodie sunk a jumper before the Bulldogs scored six consecutive points. Banks then took over, putting together a 9-2 scoring run of her own. A Banks three-pointer and layup gave Belmont a 37-33 lead with just over four minutes to go in the third period.
Banks scored four of the Bruins' last six points in the quarter to give Belmont a promising 43-37 lead heading into the fourth. Picking up where she left off in the third, Banks connected on a jumper early in the fourth to make it 45-37.
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Back-to-back Drake baskets and a free throw got the home team back within a possession at 45-42 with 7:41 left, but the Bruins would go on an impressive 21-6 run over the next seven minutes of play. Sparked by tough twos from Banks and Tripp, Belmont went up 52-44 on a three by Jones with 5:19 remaining.
Graduate guard
Avery Strickland gave the Bruins their first double-digit lead at 55-44 with a three-pointer and Banks was fouled on a three-point attempt with just under four minutes left. Sinking all three free throws, Banks made it 58-46.
Eubank's second triple put Belmont up 15 at 61-46 with 2:43 to go. An old-fashion three-point play by Tripp in the last minute gave the Bruins their largest lead of the night at 66-48.
Belmont shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) in the second half and kept the Bulldogs to just nine made field goals and 0-for-5 shooting from deep.
Tripp added four steals and Banks dished out four assists. Jones finished with seven boards, a game-high five steals, five points and four assists.
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Anna Becker led the way for Drake with 14 points and five rebounds. The Bulldogs also got double-figure scoring from reserves Maggie Taylor (13) and Brooklin Dailey (10).
Of Note
- The Bruins have won three of their last four matchups with Drake.
- Belmont has defeated the Bulldogs in each of its last two trips to Des Moines.
- The Bruins improve to 4-5 all-time versus Drake.
- Belmont has recorded at least 10 steals in 12 games this season.
- Banks has scored in double figures in 13 of the 14 games she has played this season.
- Banks' 26-point performance is her 10th 20-point game of her career and fourth of the season.
Up Next
The Bruins continue on to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and take on Northern Iowa Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from the McLeod Center is set for 2 p.m. The Missouri Valley Conference road affair will be broadcast on
ESPN+.
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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.
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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.
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How to Follow
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media -Â
@BelmontWBBÂ on X, formerly Twitter,Â
@belmontwbb on Instagram andÂ
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
official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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#ItsBruinTime
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