Women’s Basketball Faces Northern Iowa to Close Out Road Weekend Saturday Afternoon

 
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Closing out a stretch of five of six games on the road, the Belmont University women's basketball team travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a Saturday afternoon tilt at Northern Iowa. Tipoff from the McLeod Center is set for 2 p.m.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference road matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Brad Wells (play-by-play) and Emily Hoffert (analyst) on the call. Dr. Rich Tiner will also provide live play-by-play of the action on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online. Live stats of the game can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (13-9, 9-2 MVC) completed their first regular season sweep of Drake Thursday evening with a 67-52 victory inside the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The win was Belmont's third in its last four matchups with the Bulldogs.
• The Bruins have won six of their last seven true road games and are 6-3 in true road outings 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 topping Belmont 78-71 at the Curb Event Center last Saturday.
• 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 7-2 in 2026.
• 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 (13-of-14). With a free throw at the four-minute mark of the third quarter against Murray State last Saturday, Banks reached her 1,000th career point to become Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer. On Thursday, 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 after scoring a career-high 23 points and snagging a career-best eight rebounds in last Thursday evening's overtime road win over the Purple Aces. Her four 20-point performances this season are tied with Fuller and Banks for the most of any Belmont player.
• The Bruins faced three top-15 ranked Southeastern Conference opponents during non-conference play. Belmont 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 its season opener.
• Ninth-year program leader Bart Brooks secured his 200th career victory with the Bruins' 72-66 road win at Dayton on Nov. 16. He reached the career milestone in only 270 games as a head coach.
• Belmont went on a historic national postseason run in the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), where it reached the championship game. It was the Bruins' deepest national postseason run in any sport.
• For the second time in four seasons, Belmont was picked as the preseason favorite to win the MVC. The Bruins captured a regular season championship in their first season in the Valley in 2022-23.
• Including last season, Belmont has reached the MVC Tournament championship game two of the last three years.
• The Bruins went 26-13 last season and 15-5 in the MVC, tying for third in the final league standings.
• Belmont's 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 the Bruins last season.
• Belmont 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

• Behind Banks' career-high 26 and sophomore guard Quinn Eubank's team-leading third double-double of the season, the Bruins picked up their second consecutive win in Des Moines.
• Belmont overcame a sluggish start with a 41-27 second half and used an impressive 21-6 scoring run in the last eight minutes of play.
• The Bruins 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. Belmont went 3-for-6 from deep and 7-for-8 at the free-throw line in the fourth while shooting 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the field.
• The Bruins were plus-six (41-35) on the glass and limited Drake to eight offensive rebounds.
• Forcing 19 turnovers, Belmont scored 26 of its 67 points off the Bulldogs' offensive miscues. The Bruins came up with 13 steals, including nine takeaways in the second half. It marked the 12th game this season Belmont has recorded at least 10 steals.
• After trailing by three following the opening quarter, the Bruins kept Drake to only one made field goal in the second quarter on 1-for-14 (7.1 percent) shooting.
• Belmont shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) in the second half and held the Bulldogs to just nine made field goals and 0-for-5 shooting from distance.
• Eubank snagged a career-high tying 14 rebounds and scored 10 points.
• Fellow sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp also reached double-figure scoring for the eighth time this season with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
• 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.

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 ninth-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 (1,669 points).
• The Bruins' all-time steals leader (410), Jones is also Belmont's all-time leader in both games started (158) and games played (159).
• 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 (1,122).
• 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 198-42 (.825) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 224-49 (.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 211-77 record. His 73.3 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 138-22 (.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 155-26 (.856) 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 93-19 (.830).
• 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 third-most votes (41) among teams not ranked in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

Versus Northern Iowa

• Saturday will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Bruins and Panthers with Belmont winning eight of the first nine matchups.
• The Bruins are 3-0 versus Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, including a 74-60 win inside the McLeod Center last January.
• Belmont has won each of the last two meetings, including a 64-46 victory over the sixth-seeded Panthers as the No. 3 seed in last year's Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament quarterfinals in Evansville, Indiana.
• The Bruins routed Northern Iowa 81-62 on Jan. 11 in Nashville behind Tripp's career-high 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting. Tripp went 5-for-6 from outside the arc, while Eubank notched a double-double with career highs of 14 rebounds and 13 points. Both Strickland (16) and Brodie (11) also scored in double figures and Belmont shot a season-best 12-for-24 from long range. The Bruins totaled a season-high 22 assists on 27 made baskets.
• In the 2023 MVC Tournament semifinals, No. 2 seed Belmont defeated the third-seeded Panthers 69-62 in Moline, Illinois.

About the Panthers

• Northern Iowa (11-11, 7-5 MVC) is coming off a 69-47 road loss at Bradley Thursday night.
• The Panthers have lost three of their last four but defeated rival Drake 66-56 in Des Moines last Sunday.
• Northern Iowa handed league leader Murray State its only loss in MVC play with a convincing 89-74 home win over the visiting Racers on Jan. 23.
• The Panthers are 4-4 in the McLeod Center this season.
• Last season, Northern Iowa went 17-17 overall and 11-9 in the Valley, finishing sixth in the final MVC standings and receiving an at-large bid to the WBIT, where the Panthers fell in the opening round at semifinalist Florida.
• Northern Iowa is led by 19th-year head coach Tanya Warren, a three-time MVC Coach of the Year and the winningest all-time coach in the Valley with 350 career victories.
• Senior 6-foot forward Ryley Goebel, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, is averaging a team-best 13.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 steals per outing.
• Junior 5-foot-8 guard Jenna Twedt, a junior college transfer, is second in scoring for the Panthers (12.9 PPG).
• Sophomore 6-foot-2 forward Elise Jaeger is second in the MVC in rebounding (10.1 RPG), while senior 5-foot-5 guard Taryn Wharton is averaging 8.4 points and 2.4 assists per game.

Up Next
The Bruins return to action in the Music City next weekend, hosting the University of Illinois Chicago Friday night before welcoming Valparaiso to the Curb Sunday afternoon. Tipoff between Belmont and the Flames Friday is slated for 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, available on ESPN+.
 
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.