Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont women's basketball edged Austin Peay, 78-75, Saturday afternoon inside the Curb Event Center to clinch its 33rd consecutive win over a conference foe. The Bruins win marked its ninth straight to improve to 18-3 on the season, their best start in the program's division I era.
Junior guard Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) powered the team's offensive efforts with 24 points, including hitting six threes. She was followed by Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wisc.) who registered 17 points while going 10-for-11 from the line. The forward also led the team in rebounds, collecting eight boards. Veteran duo Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) rounded out the double-digit scoring efforts with 11 and 14 points, respectively.
The Governors used a pair of 20-point performances from Brianah Ferby (28 points) and Brianne Alexander (23 points) to keep Austin Peay within striking distance throughout the game. As a team, APSU recorded 12 threes, including four from Ferby in the final stanza.
Both teams got out to a sluggish start as Jones hit a layup in the opening seconds before the Bruins and Governors hit a scoreless spell for the next three minutes. Maggard sunk a step back jumper on the baseline coming out of the first media timeout to give Belmont an 8-6 advantage. From there E. Harmeyer and Maggard paired up for a couple of three-point plays that sparked an 8-0 BU run over a span of a minute. Belmont made it a seven-point game with the help of a trey from rookie Caitlyn Yost (Lewisburg, Tenn.) in the waning minutes of the quarter. Austin Peay used a three of their own to make it a 17-13 game at the first intermission. Maggard was 3-for-3 from the field in the first stanza.
E. Harmeyer charged the Bruins on both ends in the second quarter, tallying six points and five rebounds while going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the 10-minute period. The squad collected the first bucket before suffering another scoring drought that McCabe once again ended with another jumper. Austin Peay also struggled to find a rhythm at the beginning, before hitting a three-pointer that made it a two-point game, 30-28, in favor of BU with 6:49 left in the half. E. Harmeyer made a presence on both ends to keep the Bruins afloat while the Governors chipped away at the deficit. APSU seemed to have an answer for everything Belmont did, leaving the game tied up, 30-30, at the half.
The Bruins and Governors came out of the locker rooms on fire as both squads traded buckets in the opening minutes. Austin Peay claimed its first lead of the game on a three-pointer from Bri Williams to go up, 33-32, at the 8:48 mark. APSU tried to take advantage of the bucket, but BU responded with a trio of threes of its own with two coming from Maggard. The Larwill, Ind. native went on to drain four shots from afar to help the Bruins claim a 55-49 lead at the end of the frame. Collectively, Belmont drained five threes while shooting 64 percent from the field.
Austin Peay responded with five unanswered points to start the fourth quarter before McCabe tallied her fourth field goal of the game. Maggard remained hot from afar, registering her fifth of the second half to put BU up three before APSU knotted it back up with 7:05 remaining. Jones came up clutch, ending a 2:45 scoreless drought for Belmont with a pair of fast breaks to put the Bruins ahead, 68-64, with 3:15 left in the game. It was a battle down to the final seconds as the Governors used a pair of timely treys from Ferby to keep it a one possession game. E. Harmeyer and Maggard sank a pair of free throws in the final minute to keep APSU from stealing the win from BU.
UP NEXT
Belmont hosts its season finale against Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 25 inside the Curb Event Center. The Bruins and Panthers are scheduled to tip at 5 p.m.
