Bruins Welcome Drake to the Curb Saturday for Senior Day

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In another key Missouri Valley Conference matchup at the Curb Event Center in the Music City, the Belmont University women's basketball team hosts Drake Saturday afternoon for senior day. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
 
Prior to the game, graduate guard Sydni Harvey and senior guard Nikki Baird will be honored.
 
The MVC game of the week will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) serving as talent. Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin guard Hannah Harmeyer (analyst), along with Hanley Riggs (sideline), will have the call of the action on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Every free throw Belmont makes throughout the month of February benefits the Kay Yow Cancer Fund through the Play4Kay Free Throw Challenge. To learn more about Play4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, visit KayYow.com. To make a pledge on the Bruins' free throws during the month or to donate, visit Belmont's Play4Kay page. All proceeds benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
 
What's Bruin

• Belmont enters Saturday tied with Illinois State (20-7, 14-3 MVC) atop of the MVC standings with just three games remaining in the regular season.
• The Bruins extended their league-best 11-game winning streak to 11 Thursday night with a gritty 82-77 win over Northern Iowa in Nashville. With the victory, Belmont completed its fifth MVC regular season sweep. The Panthers entered the game having won six of their last seven and in a three-way tie with the Bruins and the Redbirds at the top of the conference standings.
• After starting the season 3-7, Belmont has won 15 of its last 18 games.
• The Bruins' average margin of victory during their 11-game win streak is 18 points.
• Belmont leads the league with an 8-1 record at home in MVC play.
• The Bruins have not lost a game in well over a month – Belmont's last setback came at home on Jan. 15 against Illinois State (70-56).
• Junior guard Destinee Wells has scored in double figures for 12-straight games, while junior forward Madison Bartley has reached double figures in 11 of her last 12 outings.
• Thirteen of the Bruins' first 18 opponents won no fewer than 19 games a year ago and reached a national postseason tournament.
• Since 2012-13, Belmont has compiled a remarkable 154-32 (.828) record in conference play and won 11 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is an astounding 94-12 (.887) in league action over his six seasons guiding the Bruins.
• Clutch late-game baskets from sophomore guard Kilyn McGuff, Bartley and Wells willed Belmont past visiting Northern Iowa Thursday evening. The Bruins knocked down 11 three-pointers, assisted on 22 of 30 made field goals, committed a near season-low seven turnovers and remained composed during every Panther run in a battle of league leaders. McGuff hit a huge three with two minutes to go after Northern Iowa drew within a point at 73-72. Relying on its experienced juniors, Belmont turned to Bartley and Wells who delivered crucial buckets and put the Bruins up 80-74 with under 30 seconds to go. Wells also made a terrific defensive play as she tied up the Panthers following a Northern Iowa rebound at 78-74, giving Belmont possession. Harvey and Bartley made pressure free throws in the last 20 seconds to seal the win. McGuff led all scorers with 20 points, scoring 14 in the second half and hitting three triples in the fourth quarter. Wells finished with 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half, and dished out a game-high eight assists while securing a trio of steals. Bartley also tallied 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Tessa Miller notched eight points, snagged seven boards, distributed a career-high tying six assists and made a season-high tying three blocks.
• The Bruins are 112-25 (.818) inside the Curb since the start of the 2012-13 season. Coach Brooks has led Belmont to an outstanding 64-11 (.853) record at home since taking over the reins of the program in April of 2017.
• In conference play, the Bruins have been even more dominant at home going 82-11 (.882) since 2012. In his six seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five league games at the Curb with a 48-5 (.906) record.
• In February and March Belmont has been at its best. The Bruins are a stunning 84-11 (.884) in the two key months since 2016 and coach Brooks has led Belmont to a 64-8 (.889) record in February and March since his arrival in Nashville.
• Saturday afternoon will be only the second-ever meeting between the Bruins and the Bulldogs with Drake taking the first matchup in the new series 94-63 in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 6.
• The Bulldogs handed Belmont its largest margin of defeat since Nov. 30, 2019, and gave the Bruins their first MVC loss in the two teams' first encounter. The 31-point setback was Belmont's worse loss in conference play since its ASUN Conference days. The Bruins started red-hot at Drake and led 25-23 following the first quarter of play after shooting 10-for-14 across the opening 10 minutes. Wells scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the first quarter as Belmont started 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. However, the Bulldogs outscored the Bruins 22-8 in the second quarter to take a 12-point, 45-33 lead into the break. Drake went on to outpace Belmont 71-38 across the final three quarters with the Bruins unable to get into any offensive rhythm after the first quarter. Shooting 63.3 percent in the second half, the Bulldogs had five different players reach double-figure scoring. Knocking down 14 three-pointers, Drake outscored Belmont 40-22 in the paint and owned a plus-30 (55-25) advantage on the boards. The Bulldogs scored 27 of their points off 18 offensive rebounds. McGuff was the Bruins' only other double-figure scorer, finishing with 13 points and four boards.
• Following her career-high 35-point afternoon in the 81-69 home win over Indiana State on Feb. 12, Wells was tabbed MVC Player of the Week for a second time. She scored 18 in the first half, including 11 in the opening quarter alone, and added 17 points in the second half versus the Sycamores. In Belmont's 40-point, 93-53 home rout of Evansville on Feb. 10, Wells nearly posted a double-double while committing only one turnover with 11 points and a season-high tying nine assists. Shooting 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from the field, Wells averaged 23 points and seven assists for the week. Her career-best performance against Indiana State was Wells' second 30-point outing of her career after scoring 32 in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title game versus UT Martin. The Lakeland, Tennessee (Houston HS), native owns 11 career 25-point games and has reached 20 points on nine occasions this season. Wells was also named MVC Player of the Week on Nov. 14 after the first week of the season. She has garnered conference player of the week honors four times in her career, including being selected as OVC Player of the Week twice last season.
• The Bruins' five MVC Player of the Week awards this season are the most of any team in the conference. Bartley was chosen as MVC Player of the Week twice on Feb. 6 and Jan. 23, while graduate guard Sydni Harvey earned both MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week laurels on Dec. 27 following her historic three-point shooting display in Belmont's overtime win versus Troy.
• For the second time in three weeks Bartley was named both MVC and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week on Feb. 6 after leading all scorers in both of the Bruins' victories over Murray State and Bradley. She averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 51.4 percent (18-of-35) from the field across the two wins. Of Bartley's 17 rebounds on the week, 10 were earned on the offensive glass. Her 26-point performance against the Purple Aces on Feb. 10 was Bartley's seventh 20-point showing of the season. The Kettering, Ohio (Kettering Fairmont HS), native is averaging 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds since being re-inserted into Belmont's starting lineup on Jan. 20 versus Missouri State. Garnering conference player of the week honors three times throughout her career, Bartley picked up OVC Player of the Week recognition last January.
• On Jan. 18, Wells was named to the midseason watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. One of only 15 players nationally in contention for the player of the year award, Wells has reached double-figure scoring in all but four games. Through 28 games, Wells is averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. She ranks third in the MVC in scoring and is second in assists as one of only nine players nationally averaging over 17 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.
• Despite their 18-10 record, the Bruins are ranked in the top 85 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings at No. 85 as the third-highest ranked MVC team. Drake enters Saturday with the highest NET ranking in the 12-team conference, sitting inside the top 55 at No. 54.
• Belmont's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked as the 12th-most difficult in the nation. Furthermore, the Bruins' average opponent NET ranking (No. 138) is tied for 82nd-highest in the country.
• Belmont has faced four teams ranked in the top 30 of the NET – No. 9 Iowa (Nov. 20), No. 12 Villanova (Nov. 25), No. 28 Louisville (Nov. 13) and No. 29 Middle Tennessee (Nov. 16). In fact, the Bruins have taken on eight teams ranked in the top 75 of the NET, including No. 37 Georgia (Dec. 17), No. 54 Drake (Jan. 6), No. 69 Northern Iowa (Jan. 8) and No. 73 Georgia Tech (Nov. 27 and Dec. 4).
• Seven of Belmont's 10 non-conference opponents won over 20 games last year and earned a national postseason tournament bid.
• A total of 13 opponents on the Bruins' schedule reached a national postseason tournament last March, including seven who made the NCAA Tournament, and 12 won at least 20 games last season. The Bulldogs are one of such opponents. Drake went 20-14 in 2021-22 and reached the WNIT round of 16.
• With a challenging four-game stretch from Nov. 13-25, Belmont has taken on three nationally-ranked teams. Louisville was ranked seventh in the nation when the Cardinals visited Nashville on Nov. 13 and the Bruins traveled to now 25th-ranked Middle Tennessee just three days later before heading to then fourth-ranked Iowa on Nov. 20. On Friday, Nov. 25 in Estero, Florida, at the Gulf Coast Showcase, Belmont battled then 23rd-ranked Villanova in a high-scoring 83-80 setback.
• Harvey garnered MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week accolades following Christmas weekend for her sensational shooting display and 33-point outing in the Bruins' thrilling 98-87 overtime victory over Troy on Dec. 20. Her program record 10 three-pointers were the second-most ever by a MVC player in a game and she became the first NCAA Division I women's basketball player to hit 10 threes in a contest this season. Harvey's 10th trey 78 seconds into overtime put Belmont up 87-82 as she tied the Curb record for made triples in a game. She also became the first Valley player to make 10 threes in a contest since Drake's Kyndal Clark did so versus Loyola Chicago on Jan. 24, 2014. Prior to Harvey's 10-for-12 shooting from outside, the last Division I women's player to make 10 three-pointers on 12 or fewer attempts was Marshall's Taylor Porter, who also went 10-for-12 from deep on March 7, 2019, against Florida International University. The Nashville, Tennessee (Brentwood Academy), native went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line and added a pair of rebounds in the home win over the Trojans. Harvey ranks among MVC leaders in made treys with 50 on the season.
• With 21 boards against Troy, Miller registered the Bruins' first 20-rebound performance since Ellie Harmeyer notched 20 versus the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Nov. 6, 2019. Her 21 rebounds were just three off the single-game program record of 24. Miller also collected 16 rebounds off the bench in Belmont's 78-68 neutral-site win over Saint Louis in southwest Florida on Nov. 26, the second-most in a single game in the 10-year history of the Gulf Coast Showcase. She owns four double-figure rebounding games this season.
• With her 25-point output against the University of Illinois Chicago on New Year's Day, Wells became the third Bruin since 2009-10 to score 25-plus points in 10 or more career games, joining Kylee Smith (12) and Ellie Harmeyer (11).
• Four different Belmont players have posted multiple 20-point performances this season with Wells leading the way (9), followed by Bartley (7), McGuff (3) and Harvey (2).
• Wells became the Bruins' 33rd 1,000-point scorer in the tightly-contested matchup with seventh-ranked Louisville and was named to the 2022-23 John R. Wooden Award^® presented by Wendy's^® Preseason Top 50 Watch List following the opening week of the season. One of only four mid-major players to appear on the prestigious watch list, Wells has scored 1,443 points and registered 392 assists in only 84 career games. She has reached double-figure scoring in all but six of her last 73 games and 75 total career outings. Wells owns 29 20-point games and was tabbed MVC Preseason Player of the Year in Belmont's first year in the league.
• Between Harvey, who scored 1,142 points at South Florida and has accounted for 1,375 career points, and Wells, the Bruins have two career 1,000-point scorers.
• Belmont received seven votes in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and eight votes in the USA Today Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll following week one of the regular season. The Bruins received 14 votes in the preseason AP Top 25 and nine votes in the preseason USA Today Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll.
• One of the premier mid-major programs in the country, Belmont began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^® and is currently ranked 25th in the mid-major poll.
• Entering their first season in the MVC, the Bruins were picked to win the conference after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members. Belmont received 32 of 44 possible first-place votes in the preseason predicted order of finish.
• Ranked 25th in Sports Illustrated's 2022-23 basketball preview edition, the Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for eight-straight seasons.
• Belmont is the only non-power conference program to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons.
• The Bruins have earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years and reached each of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
• Belmont is one of just 12 programs in the nation and one of only three non-power conference teams (Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State) to win 20 or more games for seven-straight seasons.
• The Bruins own the 17th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,052).
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20 or more games for seven consecutive seasons in both men's and women's basketball.
• In 2021-22, Belmont and BYU were the only two schools in the country who received votes in top-25 coaches polls in men's and women's basketball and baseball during their respective regular seasons.
• In his sixth season at the helm, coach Brooks has guided the Bruins to an impressive 141-44 (.762) record and eight combined conference championships, including regular season and tournament titles.

Up Next
Belmont concludes the regular season next weekend on the road, traveling to UIC Thursday and Valparaiso Saturday. Tipoff of Thursday night's game in Chicago is slated for 7 p.m. from Credit Union 1 Arena.

Single game tickets are on sale. Click here to view available seating and purchase your seats.
 
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com.
 
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