Bruins Host Bradley, Go for Third-Straight Win Saturday Afternoon

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Closing out a Missouri Valley Conference opening three-game homestand, the Belmont University women's basketball team welcomes Bradley to the Curb Event Center Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from the Music City is set for 2 p.m.
 
The weekend matinee matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin guard Hannah Harmeyer ('19) (analyst) on the call. The game can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeart Radio. Live in-game statistics will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Tickets for Saturday afternoon's game are on sale for only $5 and can be purchased here.
 
What's Bruin

• Belmont (9-4, 2-0 MVC) looks for its first 3-0 start in the Valley in only its second year in the conference. The Bruins went 2-1 in their first three MVC games last season.
• Fresh off a 64-52 victory over fellow defending Valley regular season champion Illinois State Thursday night at the Curb, Belmont goes for its fifth-straight home win.
• The Bruins are 6-1 inside the Curb this season.
• Leading the MVC in scoring defense (62.6 PPG), Belmont has held its last two opponents under 62 points. In fact, the Bruins have kept eight of their 13 opponents under 65 points.
• Holding the Redbirds to a season-low 52 points Thursday night, Belmont limited Illinois State to a season-worst 33.3 percent shooting and only 18 made field goals.
• Head coach Bart Brooks is attempting to win his 100th conference game in only 112 league contests.
• Two of the Bruins' four losses have been against top-15 opponents.
• Prior to Belmont's loss at 13th-ranked Ohio State in its non-conference finale, the Bruins had won five straight. Belmont has put together at least a five-game winning streak in 12-straight seasons going back to 2012-13.
• The Bruins are ranked 15th in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25^®.

 
Last Time Out

• Behind a strong defensive performance and a career-high 17 points from sophomore guard Emily La Chapell, Belmont picked up a key MVC triumph and avenged its only home loss in the Valley.
• The Bruins outscored the Redbirds 26-18 in the paint and 25-19 off the bench, while outrebounding Illinois State 37-32.
• Belmont jumped on the Redbirds early and led for all but a combined 55 seconds when the score was even. Leading by eight (31-23) at halftime, the Bruins went up by as much as 18 late in the third quarter.
• In just the second-ever meeting between the two teams, Belmont was able to overcome 18 turnovers that led to 21 Illinois State points.
• In just her second game as a Bruin, La Chapell scored 10 second-half points and finished the evening 6-for-9 from the field.
• Freshman standout guard Jailyn Banks scored 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting and junior forward Tessa Miller once again reached double figures with 12 points. Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones put together quite the stat line with seven points, a team-best seven rebounds, a game-high tying four assists and a season-high tying five steals.
• With 6:17 remaining, Jones registered her 200th career steal.

 
Another Challenging Non-Conference

• Once again playing one of the most strenuous non-conference schedules in the nation, the Bruins went 7-4 with their four losses coming against power conference opponents. Three of Belmont's four losses were away from Nashville with the Bruins going 4-1 at the Curb.
• Six of Belmont's 11 non-conference opponents were from power conferences. Five of the Bruins' first six games of the season were against power conference programs.
• Belmont defeated two power conference teams during the non-conference portion of the schedule, routing Southeastern Conference mainstay Georgia 76-50 in the Bruins' home opener on Nov. 10 and toppling the Big Ten Conference's Northwestern 83-61 at the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas on Nov. 24.
• Belmont owns five victories over power conference teams in four seasons. In addition to the Lady Bulldogs and the Wildcats, the Bruins have earned wins against Oregon, Ole Miss and Auburn in recent years.
• Belmont also came within a point of defeating receiving-votes Mississippi State on Sunday, Nov. 19 inside the Curb. A free-throw line jumper by Banks and a putback attempt from junior guard Kilyn McGuff both rimmed off in the final seconds.

 
Player Notes

• Miller has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and has distributed at least three assists in six games. She led all Bruin scorers at top-15 ranked Ohio State with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting after scoring a career-best 19 points in the win at Kennesaw State where she knocked down a career-high nine free throws on nine attempts. In Belmont's battle with top-five ranked Stanford at the Ball Dawgs Classic in the desert, Miller went 9-for-16 from the floor for 18 points after registering her fifth career double-double in the Bruins' blowout of Georgia with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
• After her true junior season was cut short due to injury last year, Jones returned for the opener at Missouri and has distributed at least four assists in 10 of the first 13 games of the season. Averaging a team-best 4.3 assists per game, Jones earned her second career double-double against Northwestern in Vegas with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists. Against the nationally-ranked Buckeyes, Jones racked up a season-high five steals. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native has totaled 200 career steals, which ranks among the top 10 in program history. In fact, Jones is third in Belmont's NCAA era in steals as she ranks behind only Erica Davenport (210) and Tara Montgomery (244). Named to the preseason All-MVC Second Team, Jones was the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an All-OVC First Team selection as a sophomore in 2021-22.
• Off to a sensational start to her collegiate career, Banks has three times been selected as MVC Freshman of the Week (Dec. 11, Nov. 20, Nov. 13). Reaching double figures in nine of her first 13 games, Banks is second on the team in scoring (12.7 PPG). A native of Spring Hill, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee Christian School), Banks tallied 23 points in the season opener against the Tigers, the fourth-most by any true freshman this season making her debut.
• Junior forward Kendal Cheesman is proving to be one of the most elite three-point shooters in the country. Shooting 54.1 percent (20-of-37) from three-point range at the Curb this season, Cheesman is an impressive 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from deep. She pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds versus the fourth-ranked Cardinal and scored a game-high 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including going 4-for-7 from outside, in the convincing win over the Wildcats of Northwestern inside The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. In her first career start, Cheesman erupted for a career-high 28 points on 9-for-15 three-point shooting and collected nine boards in the home blowout of the Lady Bulldogs. Her nine three-pointers are tied for the third-most by a NCAA Division I women's basketball player in a game this season and were just one shy of both the single-game program and Curb Event Center record. The Tampa, Florida (H.B. Plant HS), native became the first player since at least 2009-10 to make nine threes and secure nine rebounds against a power conference team. For her performance, Cheesman was selected as Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week (Nov. 14).
• Going up against her father's program, McGuff secured a team-high six rebounds at Ohio State. She has scored in double figures on six occasions this season and notched two double-doubles. After recording her first career double-double in the win at Troy with 18 points and 10 boards, McGuff scored a season-best 22 points in the home victory over receiving-votes Middle Tennessee. For those two performances, McGuff captured her first MVC Player of the Week award on Dec. 4. In the 77th Battle of the Boulevard versus nearby rival Lipscomb, McGuff had a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with 13 points.

 
Among the Toughest Schedules in the Nation

• A total of 14 opponents on the Bruins' schedule had a winning record in 2022-23, while 10 adversaries won 20 or more games last season and 12 made a national postseason tournament last March.
• Belmont's schedule also features six NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago.

 
Nothing but NET

• Six of the Bruins' 13 opponents thus far are ranked in the top 75 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 2 Stanford and No. 16 Ohio State. Belmont is currently 75th in the NET.
• The Braves enter the weekend just outside the top 300 of the NET at No. 304 as the third-lowest ranked MVC team in the national metric.

 
Storied Success

• The Bruins won their sixth regular season conference championship in seven seasons last year. Belmont has captured nine regular season conference titles in the Bruins' NCAA era. Including the regular season and league tournament, Belmont has won 16 combined conference championships in three different Division I conferences (MVC, OVC and Atlantic Sun Conference).
• The Bruins are one of only 11 teams in the nation to have won 20 or more games for eight-straight seasons.
• Belmont (11) is one of only three programs to have won more than 10 combined conference championships (regular season and tournament) over the last seven seasons. UConn (14) and Florida Gulf Coast (12) are the other two.
• Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20-plus games for eight consecutive seasons in both women's and men's basketball.
• The Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls each of the last eight seasons.
• Belmont has won the 17th-most games in NCAA Division I women's basketball history (1,066).

 
Conference Dominance

• Since the 2012-13 season, the Bruins have compiled a remarkable 159-32 (.832) record in league play and won 12 combined championships, including regular season and tournament titles.
• Coach Brooks is a ridiculous 99-12 (.892) in conference action in seven seasons.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, Belmont has gone 182-37 (.831) against league opposition over the last 12 seasons.

 
Under Coach Brooks

• In his seventh season at the helm, coach Brooks picked up his 150th win in less than 200 career games with the Bruins' 72-68 victory at Troy on Nov. 29.
• Coach Brooks was named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. Since his arrival in Nashville, he has led Belmont to a 155-50 (.756) record, four NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in 2021 and 2022. The third-fastest head coach to 100 career victories in Division I women's basketball history, Brooks owns an astounding record of 113-14 (.890) against conference opponents, including conference tournament games. He ranks among the top 10 of active Division I head coaches in terms of winning percentage.

 
MVC Preseason Poll

• The Bruins were picked fourth in the MVC but gained one first-place vote in the preseason predicted order of finish after capturing a regular season championship in Belmont's first year in the conference in 2022-23. Going 23-12 overall and 17-3 in the Valley, the Bruins reached their third-straight conference tournament title game and made their 10th national postseason appearance in 11 seasons with an at-large bid to the WNIT.

 
Bruins at Home

• Belmont is 95-13 (.880) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• The Bruins have a home winning percentage of .745 (193-66) inside the Curb since the arena was opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, Belmont is an exceptional 71-12 (.855) inside the Curb.
• In conference play, the Bruins have been even more dominant at home going 85-11 (.885) since 2012. In seven seasons, coach Brooks has lost only five league games at the Curb with a 51-5 (.911) record.

 
Versus Bradley

• Saturday will be only the second meeting between the two programs.
• Belmont defeated the Braves 68-54 last February in Peoria, Illinois. The Bruins held Bradley under 10 points in both the second and third quarters last year, outscoring the Braves 34-25 in the second half. Dominating the paint (38-22), Belmont scored 18 points off 19 Bradley turnovers.
• Four different Bruins reached double figures, including McGuff and Miller scoring 11 points each. Miller also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a game-high tying five assists, while McGuff had seven boards.

 
About the Braves

• The Braves (4-9, 0-2 MVC), under the direction of second-year head coach Kate Popovec-Goss, began play in the Valley with a hard-fought, narrow 78-74 loss at Illinois State last weekend. On Thursday, Bradley suffered a 99-52 blowout at Murray State.
• Five of the Braves' first seven MVC games are on the road.
• Bradley went 4-7 in non-conference play and had one common opponent with Belmont as the Braves took on Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, on Dec. 17. The Wildcats handled Bradley 86-66.
• The Braves finished last in the Valley last season, going 1-19 against the MVC and 4-28 overall. Bradley's only conference win was at Evansville late in the year.
• In the league's preseason poll, the Braves were picked to finish 12th in the Valley once again.
• Hampered by injuries, Bradley features reigning MVC Freshman of the Week Halli Poock. A 5-foot-4 guard, Poock scored 34 points on 7-for-11 three-point shooting against the Redbirds in the conference opener. She is averaging a team-best 12.2 points and 3.0 assists per game, primarily coming off the bench.
• Junior 5-foot-8 guard Alex Rouse is also averaging double-figure scoring (10.4 PPG), while senior 6-foot forward Isis Fitch leads the Braves in rebounding with 5.7 per outing.

 
Up Next
The Bruins make their first MVC road trip of the season next weekend when Belmont travels to Indiana to face Evansville Friday and Indiana State next Sunday, Jan. 14.
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on 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.