Bruins Welcome Receiving-Votes Duke to the Curb Saturday Afternoon

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Finishing up its regular season non-conference schedule, the Belmont University women's basketball team hosts receiving-votes Duke University at the Curb Event Center Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from the Music City is set for 2 p.m.
 
The regular season non-conference finale will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play) and former Bruin forward Conley Chinn Merritt ('22) on the call. FOX 17 sports anchor and reporter Jill Jelnick will be reporting from the sideline. The matinee matchup can also be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio, available online. Live stats of the game can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Belmont-branded braided bracelets will be given away to all fans in attendance, while supplies last. Additionally, the Bruins will be available for postgame autographs in the Curb's Maddox Grand Atrium.
 
What's Bruin

• Belmont (5-6, 1-0 MVC) began Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday night with a 77-67 home victory over the University of Evansville. The win snapped a two-game skid and was the Bruins' 10th-straight conference opening triumph.
• Saturday's game will be Belmont's sixth this season against a team receiving votes in at least one of the two national polls.
• The Bruins have faced three top-15 ranked Southeastern Conference opponents this year. Belmont hosted 15th-ranked Kentucky last Sunday after challenging 12th-ranked Tennessee on Nov. 13 in Knoxville and sixth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, in its season opener.
• The Bruins also hosted Princeton two weeks ago and played Ohio State (Nov. 24) at the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas. Both were receiving votes in both national polls.
• Belmont is 3-2 at home this season with an 83-61 win over Brown in its home opener on Nov. 7 and an 80-60 rout of rival Lipscomb in the 79th Battle of the Boulevard on Nov. 19, in addition to its victory over the Purple Aces earlier this week.
• Ninth-year program leader Bart Brooks secured his 200th career victory with the Bruins' 72-66 win at Dayton on Sunday, 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 favorites 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 – graduate guard Tuti Jones, junior guard Jailyn Banks and senior guard Emily La Chapell – in addition to graduate transfer guard Avery 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

• After trailing 36-32 at halftime, the Bruins outscored Evansville 45-31 in the second half, including 22-8 in the third quarter.
• Belmont shot a season-high 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field in the Valley opener and had four players reach double figures.
• Sophomore forward Hilary Fuller scored a career-high 19 points, including 15 in the second half, and snagged five rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. She went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line.
• Jones went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc for 13 points, distributed a team-high five assists and tallied a game-best four steals.
• Sophomore guard Quinn Eubank nearly notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
• Strickland provided 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and five boards, while Brodie posted a season-high nine points on 4-for-6 shooting.
• The Bruins used an 11-0 scoring run across the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth to take control of the game after trailing for a little over six minutes of the contest.
• Belmont outscored the Purple Aces 42-18 in the paint and outrebounded Evansville 41-36. The Bruins also scored 18 points off 16 turnovers by the Purple Aces.
• Belmont knocked down 17 of its 21 second-half free throws (81 percent) and cashed in on five foul shots in the final 1:15.

Player of the Week

• Jones was named both MVC and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week 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 the top-15 ranked Wildcats last Sunday. She was also a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
• Jones' 24-point outing against nationally-ranked Kentucky was her 80th career double-figure scoring game.
• Jones has scored in double figures in three-straight games and five of her last six.

1,500 Points and All-Tournament Team Honors

• Jones reached 1,500 career points with her 19-point performance versus now 21st-ranked Ohio State on Monday, Nov. 24 in the Bahamas. She is only the 11th Bruin to reach 1,500 career points.
• Belmont's NCAA era leader in steals (384) and all-time leader in both games started (147) and games played (148), Jones is third among active career steals leaders across all divisions of college basketball. Jones needs just 24 more steals to set the Bruins' all-time steals record.
• 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 Belmont's 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 their 58th season as a program, the Bruins have claimed the 15th-most victories in NCAA Division I women's basketball (1,114).
• Belmont entered 2025-26 with the 30th-best all-time winning percentage (.658).
• The Bruins are 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.
• Belmont's 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 nine seasons. UConn (18), Florida Gulf Coast (16), South Carolina (13), South Dakota State (11) and Princeton (10) are the others.
• Since the 2012-13 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 190-40 (.826) record in conference play.
• Altogether, including conference tournaments, the Bruins have gone 216-47 (.821) 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 203-74 record. His 73.3 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 130-20 (.867) in conference action with nine combined conference 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 147-24 (.860) 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 92-19 (.829).
• 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 is no different.
• Six of Belmont's 11 non-conference opponents are 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 last Sunday after traveling to both No. 6/6 Oklahoma (Nov. 3) and No. 12/12 Tennessee (Nov. 13). In addition to hosting receiving-votes Princeton (Dec. 6) and facing receiving-votes Ohio State in the Bahamas (Nov. 24), Belmont welcomes Duke, who's receiving 13 votes in the coaches poll.
• With Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio State, Princeton, Kentucky and Duke, the Bruins face 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 the most votes of teams not ranked in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

At the Curb

• The Bruins are 117-19 (.860) at home since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Belmont has a home winning percentage of .749 (215-72) inside the Curb since the arena opened prior to the 2003-04 season.
• Under coach Brooks, the Bruins are an exceptional 93-18 (.838) at the Curb.
• In conference play, Belmont has been even more dominant at home, going 101-14 (.878) since 2012. In his first nine seasons, coach Brooks has lost only eight league games at the Curb with a 67-8 (.893) record.
• For four-straight seasons and nine of the last 10, the Bruins have won 10 or more games at the Curb.

Versus Duke

• Saturday will be just the third meeting between Belmont and Duke with the Blue Devils winning both of the previous two matchups.
• Duke is making its first visit to the Curb.
• In coach Brooks' first NCAA Tournament game leading the Bruins, the Blue Devils defeated Belmont 72-58 in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament inside Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia. The game was a top-25 matchup with the Bruins ranked No. 23 and seeded 12th and Duke ranked No. 20 and seeded fifth.
• On Nov. 21 last year, the Blue Devils defeated Belmont 79-47 inside Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

Against the ACC

• The Bruins are 5-18 all-time against current Atlantic Coast Conference members.
• Belmont's last game against a current ACC member was the Bruins' road outing at Cameron Indoor last November.
• Belmont owns victories over ACC members Wake Forest (Dec. 6, 2015), Clemson (Nov. 25, 2005), Louisville (1972-73) and North Carolina (1975-76 and 1974-75).

About the Blue Devils

• Duke (5-6, 1-0 ACC) has played the second-most difficult schedule in the nation with three games against the current top five (No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 LSU). The Blue Devils also took on current No. 15 Baylor and receiving-votes West Virginia.
• Duke is coming off back-to-back wins, including a 70-54 road victory at Virginia Tech to begin ACC play. On Thursday night, the Blue Devils defeated mid-major power South Dakota State 97-54 at Cameron Indoor.
• Duke ranks eighth nationally in blocks per game (6.6).
• Last March, the Blue Devils reached the Elite Eight as a No. 2 seed and came within four points (54-50) of national finalist South Carolina.
• Duke was picked as the preseason favorite to win the ACC with 40 out of 70 first-place votes. Last season, the Blue Devils went 29-8 overall and 14-4 in ACC play, finishing third in the 18-team league.
• Duke is led by 2024-25 ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward who was an All-ACC First Team selection last season. Fournier is averaging a team-leading 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
• Senior 6-foot guard Ashlon Jackson, a returning All-ACC Second Team selection, is averaging 12.7 points and 3.5 assists per outing.
• Senior 5-foot-9 guard Taina Mair leads the Blue Devils in assists (5.2 APG) and is also averaging double-figure scoring (12.4 PPG).
• Junior 6-foot-3 forward Delaney Thomas is Duke's second-leading rebounder (5.7 RPG) and is averaging 9.3 points per contest on 69.5 percent shooting.

Up Next
The Bruins will have a nine-day break from game action before returning to MVC play on Monday, Dec. 29 at Southern Illinois. Tipoff from the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Belmont's final game of 2025 will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Season Tickets
Season tickets, which include all Belmont women's and men's basketball home games, are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or calling 615-460-BALL. Flex pack plans for the 2025-26 season are also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
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.