Bruins Close Out Home Portion of Regular Season Monday Night Versus Southern Illinois

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – March hoops is upon us, and the Belmont University women's basketball team begins the thrilling month by hosting Southern Illinois Monday night inside the Curb Event Center. Tipoff from the Music City is set for 6:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, Jan. 24 but had to be postponed due to a severe ice storm that crippled the middle Tennessee area.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference home matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) 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.
 
Bruin-branded performance sunglasses will be given away to all fans in attendance beginning one hour prior to tipoff, while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• Belmont (17-11, 13-4 MVC) defeated Indiana State 88-79 on Tuti Jones, Emily La Chapell, Claire Hyde and Avery Strickland's senior day late Saturday afternoon. The Bruins' 88 points scored in the Curb were the most in a game for Belmont this season.
• Last weekend, the Bruins went 0-2 in their trip to the Land of Lincoln, falling in overtime at Illinois State before being edged 51-47 at Bradley last Sunday.
• Prior to its 83-78 overtime road loss to the Redbirds, Belmont had won four straight.
• With their triumph Saturday, the Bruins clinched a top four seed for the upcoming Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament.
• With two more wins, Belmont can secure a No. 2 seed for the conference tournament.
• The Bruins have won seven of their last eight at home and are 10-4 at the Curb this season.
• Belmont leads the Valley in a pair of important defensive categories – turnovers forced per game (17.3) and steals per game (10.2), while second in field goal percentage defense (.386).
• The Bruins are 11-4 in 2026.
• Belmont had its season-best six-game winning streak halted at Murray State on Jan. 18.
• 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.
• With their 77-67 home win over Evansville on Dec. 17, the Bruins secured their 10th-straight conference opening triumph.
• Belmont played eight of nine games at home with two four-game homestands in December and January. The Bruins had four of their six December games in the Curb and Belmont's 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 in this season (19-of-20) and co-leads the Bruins with five 20-point outings. With a free throw at the four-minute mark of the third quarter against the Racers on Jan. 31, Banks reached her 1,000th career point to become Belmont's 37th 1,000-point scorer. In both the Bruins' victory at Drake on Feb. 5 and overtime affair at Illinois State on Feb. 20, Banks scored a career-high 26 points.
• Graduate guard Tuti Jones broke Belmont's all-time steals record late in the third quarter in the Bruins' 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 co-leads Belmont with 19 double-figure scoring games on the season and has posted at least 20 points five times in MVC play.
• Graduate guard Avery Strickland was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 2 after scoring a career-high 23 points and snagging eight rebounds in the Bruins' overtime road win over the Purple Aces on Jan. 29. Like Banks and Fuller, Strickland has also reached double figures 19 times this season.
• 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

• Improving to 8-0 versus the Sycamores since joining the MVC, Belmont made a season-high 31 field goals and shot 47 percent against Indiana State Saturday.
• The Bruins scored at least 20 points in each of the last three quarters and used a 16-4 scoring run to begin the fourth to build a 22-point lead with 6:19 to go.
• Half of Belmont's points were scored in the paint, the 44 points the most this season, and the Bruins shot a near season-best 83.3 percent (20-of-24) at the free-throw line.
• After the Sycamores led by three twice in the first half, Belmont closed the half with a 9-0 run in the final minute to go up 45-39 heading into the locker room.
• The Bruins scored the first four points of the second half in the first minute to extend their lead to double digits.
• Belmont shot 53.1 percent (17-of-32) in the second half as Fuller (15) and Jones (14) accounted for 29 of the Bruins' 43 points.
• Belmont held Indiana State to 13-for-34 (38.2 percent) from the field across the second 20 minutes of action.
• Fuller led the Bruins with 22 points, seven rebounds and a career-high tying three blocks. It was her fifth 20-point performance in MVC play.
• Fellow sophomore Sanaa Tripp scored 17 points off the bench going a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line and secured seven boards.
• Jones put together the most impressive stat line of the day with 16 points on 8-for-15 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and a game-high five steals.
• Strickland notched 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and Banks totaled 11 points, six of which came in the second quarter.

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 13th-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas. She is only the 11th Belmont player to reach 1,500 career points and is second in scoring in the Bruins' NCAA era (1,721 points).
• Belmont's all-time steals leader (438), Jones is also the Bruins' all-time leader in both games started (164) and games played (165).
• 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 Belmont's 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 their 58th season as a program, the Bruins have claimed the 15th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball (1,126).
• Belmont entered 2025-26 with the 30th-best all-time winning percentage (.658).
• The Bruins are 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.
• Belmont's 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 202-44 (.821) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 228-51 (.817) 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 215-79 record. His 73.1 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 142-24 (.855) 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 159-28 (.850) 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 97-21 (.822).
• 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 seven votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 124-21 (.855) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .750 (222-74) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 100-20 (.833) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 108-15 (.878) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only nine league games at the Curb with a 74-9 (.892) record.
• For five-straight seasons and 10 of the last 11, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus Southern Illinois

• Monday night will be the 10th all-time meeting between Belmont and the Salukis.
• The Bruins have won each of the previous nine matchups.
• Belmont is 3-0 versus Southern Illinois at the Curb, including a 30-point, 73-43 shellacking in the Salukis' last visit on Feb. 27 last year.
• The Bruins also routed Southern Illinois by 56 points (101-45) in the Salukis' first visit to the Curb on Jan. 22, 2023. The win was Belmont's largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent.
• On Dec. 29 earlier this season, the Bruins defeated Southern Illinois 68-56 in Carbondale, Illinois. Belmont scored 23 points off 23 Saluki turnovers and outscored Southern Illinois 25-13 in an impressive third quarter. Led by Strickland's 22 points, the Bruins also got 17 points from Fuller and 11 rebounds from sophomore guard Quinn Eubank.
• Prior to Belmont joining the Valley, the two teams met on a neutral floor in Long Beach, California, on Dec. 21, 2002. The Bruins defeated the Salukis 67-57 in the non-conference tilt.

About the Salukis

• After winning three in a row and five of six, Southern Illinois (9-18, 6-12 MVC) has lost its last five games.
• The Salukis dropped a 78-60 decision at Illinois State last Thursday before falling 83-68 at home against Drake Saturday.
• Southern Illinois is 2-9 on the road this season, including 2-6 in MVC road games.
• Road victories at the University of Illinois Chicago (55-53) and Valparaiso (82-73) in early February are the Salukis' only wins away from home in MVC play.
• Last season, Southern Illinois tied for last in the Valley with a 2-18 MVC record. The Salukis were 4-26 overall.
• Sophomore 5-foot-8 guard Alayna Kraus, a transfer from Oral Roberts, leads Southern Illinois in scoring (15.3 PPG).
• Graduate 5-foot-11 forward Indya Green, a Georgia Southern transfer and former MVC All-Tournament Team selection while at Missouri State, leads the Salukis in rebounding (8.7 RPG) and is averaging 12.9 points per outing.
• Junior 5-foot-9 guard Kayla Cooper is also averaging double-figure scoring (11.1 PPG) and leads Southern Illinois in steals (1.6 SPG).
• Graduate 5-foot-10 guard Jeniah Thompson is nearly averaging double figures (9.6 PPG), while junior 5-foot-10 guard Tkiyah Nelson leads the Salukis in assists (4.3 APG).

Up Next
Belmont heads to Valparaiso Thursday and then UIC Saturday to wrap up the regular season. Tipoff Thursday night from the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Both MVC road games will be broadcast 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.