Bruins Take on Valparaiso in Northwest Indiana Thursday Evening

 
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Making its final road trip of the regular season, the Belmont University women's basketball team travels to Valparaiso, Indiana, to face Valparaiso Thursday evening. Tipoff from the Beacons' Athletics-Recreation Center is slated for 6 p.m.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference road matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Brian Jennings (play-by-play) and Renee Turpa (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 (18-11, 14-4 MVC), who are playing four games in an eight-day span, are coming off of back-to-back home victories.
• Belmont defeated Southern Illinois 83-64 Monday night in a makeup game previously scheduled for Jan. 24. The game had to be postponed due to a severe winter storm in Nashville.
• This past Saturday, the Bruins completed the regular season sweep of Indiana State with an 88-79 win on Tuti Jones, Emily La Chapell, Claire Hyde and Avery Strickland's senior day. Belmont's 88 points scored were a season high.
• With their triumph over the Sycamores this past weekend, the Bruins secured a top four seed for the upcoming Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament.
• With one more win, Belmont can clinch the No. 2 seed for the Valley tournament.
• The Bruins have surpassed the 80-point mark in consecutive games for the second time this season.
• Belmont is 7-5 in true road games in 2025-26.
• The Bruins lead the MVC in a pair of important defensive categories – turnovers forced per game (17.1) and steals per game (10.2) – while ranking second in field goal percentage defense (.387).
• Belmont is 12-4 in 2026.
• The Bruins had their season-best six-game winning streak halted at Murray State on Jan. 18.
• Belmont began MVC play 7-0, its best conference start since 2017-18 when the Bruins completed their second consecutive undefeated season in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• 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 Event Center 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 two games she has played in this season (19-of-21) and co-leads Belmont 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 the Bruins' 37th 1,000-point scorer. In both Belmont's 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 the Bruins' all-time steals record late in the third quarter in Belmont's 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 the Bruins with 20 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 23 points and snagging eight rebounds in Belmont's overtime road win over the Purple Aces on Jan. 29. Like Fuller, Strickland has also reached double figures 20 times this season and reached 20 points five times.
• 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

• The Bruins began the most exciting month of college basketball with a season-high 33 made field goals and 52.4 percent (33-of-63) shooting against the Salukis Monday night.
• Led by Strickland's career-best 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting, Belmont scored over 20 points in the last three quarters for the second-straight game.
• The Bruins overcame an eight-point first-quarter deficit and outscored Southern Illinois 44-33 in the second half on 57.7 percent (15-of-26) shooting, including going 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
• Belmont came up with 10 steals and scored 40 points in the paint, marking the 16th time this season the Bruins have recorded at least 10 takeaways.
• Strickland's 27 points tied Fuller for the most by a Belmont player this season.
• Sophomore guard Quinn Eubank notched a career-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting and grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
• Fuller also reached double figures with 14 points and added five boards and a career-high tying three blocks.
• Sophomore guard Sanaa Tripp finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

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 11th-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 (1,727 points).
• The Bruins' all-time steals leader (440), Jones is also Belmont's all-time leader in both games started (165) and games played (166).
• 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 (1,127).
• 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 10 seasons. UConn (19), Florida Gulf Coast (16), South Carolina (14), South Dakota State (11) and Princeton (10) are the others.
• Since the 2015-16 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 203-44 (.822) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 229-51 (.818) 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 216-79 record. His 73.2 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 143-24 (.856) in conference action with nine combined 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 160-28 (.851) 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 98-21 (.824).
• 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 14 votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

Versus Valparaiso

• Thursday will be only the seventh all-time meeting between Belmont and Valparaiso.
• The Bruins have won each of the first six matchups by no fewer than 13 points.
• Belmont is making its fourth visit to Valparaiso where the Bruins are 3-0, including a 69-41 victory at the Athletics-Recreation Center last February.
• In Belmont's first year in the Valley, the Bruins won a share of the 2022-23 MVC regular season title with a 70-67 road win over the Beacons in the final game of the regular season.
• Two-and-a-half weeks ago, Belmont blew out Valparaiso 77-37 at the Curb for the Bruins' largest margin of victory of the season. Belmont knocked down a season-best 14 three-pointers while holding the Beacons to just 14 baskets on 19.4 percent shooting (14-of-72). The Bruins got 28 of their 77 points off the bench and Belmont brought down a season-high 61 rebounds. It was the most rebounds for the Bruins since Jan. 30, 2016 – a double overtime win at Tennessee Tech.
• One of four Belmont players to reach double figures, Tripp recorded her first career double-double in the Bruins' home win over Valparaiso with a career-best 15 rebounds and 10 points.

About the Beacons

• The Beacons (0-29, 0-18 MVC) own the nation's longest losing streak.
• Valparaiso has lost 31 straight dating back to March 6, 2025, when the Beacons edged Drake 66-65 at home on a pair of last-second free throws. It was Valparaiso's largest comeback in program history as the Beacons trailed by 20 approaching the midway point of the third quarter.
• Valparaiso dropped an 83-42 decision to Illinois State last Saturday at home on senior day. The Beacons were also defeated by nearly 40 points last Thursday on the road at Northern Iowa (92-54).
• Valparaiso went 13-19 overall and 9-11 in MVC play last season, finishing eighth in the final league standings.
• Senior 5-foot-8 guard Fiona Connolly leads the Beacons in scoring (12.1 PPG), while freshman 5-fot-5 guard Allia von Schlegell is also averaging double figures (11.6 PPG).
• Redshirt junior 6-foot-3 center Kamryn Winch, a Division II Maryville University transfer, leads Valparaiso in rebounding (5.3 RPG).
• Senior 5-foot-4 guard Mikayla Huffine, a Division II Quincy University transfer, leads the team in assists (2.8 APG).

Up Next
Belmont wraps up the regular season Saturday afternoon at the University of Illinois Chicago. Tipoff from the Flames' Credit Union 1 Arena in the Windy City is set for 2 p.m. The regular season finale 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.