Women's Basketball Drops 73-70 Heartbreaker to Receiving-Votes Mississippi State

TUPELO, Miss. – A whistle on a halfcourt heave with 0.2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference Saturday afternoon inside Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi, as receiving-votes Mississippi State edged the Belmont University women's basketball team in a 73-70 neutral-site matchup. The Bruins (5-5) did everything they could to tie the game at 70 with 3.3 seconds remaining, but the Bulldogs (10-1) got the call on a halfcourt heave right before the final buzzer sounded.
 
Belmont trailed by seven at 67-60 with a minute to go before going on an impressive 10-3 run in 55 seconds of play. Graduate guard Tuti Jones scored the tying layup following a 30-second timeout called by head coach Bart Brooks.
 
With Mississippi State having to go the length of the floor, the Bulldogs' Destiney McPhaul drew the foul well behind the midcourt line and knocked down all three of her foul shots to win the game.

Well we thought @tutijones3 had safely sent us into OT with this.

Mississippi State draws a foul with 0.2 left… pic.twitter.com/3jrFO0paup

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) December 14, 2024

Senior forward Kendal Cheesman hit a three-pointer with 58 seconds left to spark the Bruins' near comeback finish. Following a pair of missed free throws by Mississippi State starting guard/forward Eniya Russell, sophomore guard Jailyn Banks got Belmont within two at 67-65 with two makes at the charity stripe. With 10 seconds to go and trailing 69-65, graduate guard Kendall Holmes drew a foul on a wing three-point attempt and made all three of her free throws.
 
Bulldog starting guard Jerkaila Jordan went 1-for-2 at the foul line on Mississippi State's ensuing possession, giving the Bruins a chance to tie or take the lead trailing 70-68 with eight seconds left. Coach Brooks advanced the ball with the 30-second timeout to set Jones up for the tying layup.
 
The Bulldogs had outscored Belmont 26-11 across the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter after the Bruins entered the final quarter of play with an eight-point, 49-41 lead. Mississippi State scored 32 points in the fourth on 73.3 percent (11-of-15) shooting.
 
Across the final eight minutes of the contest, the Bulldogs shot 18 free throws and made 10.
 
Behind Banks' career-high tying 23 points on 6-for-11 shooting, Belmont led by as much as 11 in the second half. In fact, the Bruins led from the 6:01 mark of the first quarter to the 6:53 mark of the fourth.
 
Belmont started 6-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-7 from deep, and led 19-9 following the opening 10 minutes of action. Despite Mississippi State outscoring the Bruins 15-10 in the second quarter, Belmont held a five-point, 29-24 advantage at halftime.
 
Shooting 40 percent (10-of-25) in the first half, including going 6-for-15 (40 percent) from distance, the Bruins held the Bulldogs to 31.3 percent (10-of-32) shooting in the opening 20 minutes of play.
 
Banks scored 11 of Belmont's first 19 points and dropped nine points in the final quarter.
 
In the third quarter, Mississippi State began to find its offensive rhythm as the Bulldogs shot 50 percent (8-of-16) from the floor. A three from Jones four minutes into the second half gave the Bruins a 38-30 lead and Belmont went up 48-37 with 2:12 to go in the third stanza after a Cheesman triple and a Holmes layup.
 
Cheesman connected on a free throw with 1:46 remaining in the third to make it 49-39 Bruins. However, from there Mississippi State put together a game-altering 14-2 run that stretched well into the fourth quarter. A layup by the Bulldogs' Jordan with 6:34 left gave Mississippi State its first lead since early in the first quarter, before Banks evened the score at 53 with 5:36 to go.
 
Completing an old-fashioned three-point play, Banks put Belmont back in front at 54-53. Her layup and the foul would be the Bruins' last lead of the afternoon as the Bulldogs proceeded to go on an 8-0 run to mount a seven-point lead at 61-54 with 2:38 remaining. Free throws from Jones and finishes at the rim by Banks and junior guard Emily La Chapell kept Belmont within five, before Mississippi State took its 67-60 lead with a minute to go.
 
The Bulldogs shot 61.3 percent (19-of-31) in the second half, while the Bruins went 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) from the field and were 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc. Mississippi State outscored Belmont 49-41 across the closing 20 minutes.
 
Owning the paint, the Bulldogs outpaced the Bruins 46-24 down low and outworked Belmont 47-26 on the glass. Mississippi State scored 18 points off 17 offensive rebounds.
 
Banks finished 9-for-10 at the free-throw line and was 2-for-4 from outside. Holmes (15), Jones (12) and Cheesman (12) also scored in double figures. La Chapell provided a team-high five rebounds and team-best four assists and Jones came up with a trio of steals.
 
Both Jordan and starting center Madina Okot notched double-doubles for the Bulldogs. Jordan scored a game-high 24 points and brought down 15 rebounds for Mississippi State, while Okot also tallied a game-best 15 boards and scored 11. The Bulldogs also got double-figure scoring outings from McPhaul (13) and Russell (11).
 
Of Note

• It marks the second consecutive year Mississippi State defeated the Bruins by a single possession. The Bulldogs escaped the Curb Event Center 63-62 last November.
• The loss snaps Belmont's three-game winning streak.
• The Bruins fall to 5-1 all-time versus Mississippi State.
• Belmont drops to 22-15 in neutral-site games under coach Brooks.
• The Bruins are 1-2 in neutral-site matchups this season.
• Belmont is 21-48 all-time versus current Southeastern Conference members.

Up Next
The Bruins close out their strenuous non-conference schedule next Friday evening at nationally-ranked Kentucky. Tipoff from historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky, is set for 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET. Belmont's non-conference finale will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
 
Ticket Info
Season tickets are on sale for $199 per seat and include all women's and men's basketball home games.
 
View available seating and purchase your seats.
 
Flex pack plans for the 2024-25 season are also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com/Tickets.
 
How to Follow
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