Women's Hoops Wins Ninth Straight, Earns 69-41 Victory at Valparaiso Friday Evening

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Winning its ninth consecutive game, the Belmont University women's basketball team earned a 69-41 road victory at Valparaiso University Friday evening inside the Athletics-Recreation Center in northwest Indiana. The Bruins, who moved to 10-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 15-7 overall, composed one of their finest defensive performances of the season in the determined effort.
 
The 41 points represent the fewest Belmont has allowed in a game this season and the Bruins held the Beacons (8-14, 4-7 MVC) to 26.9 percent shooting and only 14 made field goals (14-of-52). It's the lowest shooting percentage Belmont has limited an opponent to this season.
 
The Bruins forced 21 turnovers, which led to 23 of Belmont's 69 points, and came up with 12 steals.
 
Leading for over 38 minutes of the contest, the Bruins trailed for only 17 seconds late in the opening quarter and led by double digits for all but 10 seconds of the second half.
 
Senior forward Kendal Cheesman paced Belmont with her team-best fifth double-double of the season and 10th of her career, recording 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting and grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Freshman guard Sanaa Tripp was sensational, scoring a career-high 13 points off the bench on 5-for-9 shooting which included going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
 
The Bruins were plus-eight on the glass, outrebounding Valparaiso 40-32. Belmont also outscored the Beacons 30-20 in the paint and got 25 points off its bench.
 
Both teams struggled on their first few possessions before graduate guard Kendall Holmes knocked down a three-pointer to give the Bruins an early 8-3 lead. A 9-2 Valparaiso scoring run over a 5:26 stretch gave the Beacons their only real momentum of the evening, pulling in front 12-10 on a layup from starting guard/forward Nevaeh Jackson with 1:14 to go in the first quarter.
 
Belmont ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run thanks to back-to-back threes from Tripp.
 
The Bruins went 4-for-10 from outside across the opening 10 minutes of play before Cheesman caught fire in the second quarter.
 
Cheesman scored 13 of Belmont's 18 second-quarter points, going 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-4 from deep. A Cheesman triple capped a 13-2 Bruin run and put Belmont up 23-14 three-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter.
 
Another Cheesman three and a conventional three-point play extended the Bruins' run to 19-6 and made it 29-18 midway through the second stanza. Holmes converted a free throw following an and-one layup to give Belmont its largest lead of the half at 32-20 with under three minutes remaining. Neither squad scored in the closing 90 seconds of the half and the Bruins took a nine-point, 34-25 lead into the break.
 
Cheesman had 15 points and seven boards in the first half as Belmont shot 41.9 percent (13-of-31).
 
Held to 2-for-11 (18.2 percent) from long range, Valparaiso shot 37 percent (10-of-27) in the first half.
 
The Bruins scored the first six points of the second half before mounting a 22-point lead late in the third quarter. After the Beacons went on a 7-2 run to stay within 10 at 42-32, Tripp scored seven-straight points to ignite a 12-0 Belmont run that spanned over three-and-a-half minutes of action. Junior guard Emily La Chapell hit a three to give the Bruins a commanding 54-32 lead in the final minute of the third.
 
Belmont led 54-35 heading into the fourth quarter after outscoring Valparaiso 20-10 in the third on 50 percent (8-of-16) shooting. The Bruins allowed only three made field goals in the third period, keeping the Beacons to 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from the field and 2-for-9 from distance.
 
A Holmes trey set the tone in the fourth and Belmont once again shot 50 percent (6-of-12) in the quarter. The Bruins gave up only one field goal, limiting Valparaiso to 1-for-9 from the floor and outscoring the Beacons 15-6.
 
Outpacing Valparaiso 35-16 in the second half, Belmont shot 50 percent (14-of-28) while holding the Beacons to 16 percent (4-of-25) and 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) from outside.
 
All told, the Bruins shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) and were 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) from three-point distance with 20 assists for the fourth-straight game.
 
Holmes tallied 11 points and five rebounds, just one point shy of 1,000 for her career.
 
Graduate guard Tuti Jones dished out a season-high tying seven assists and made four steals for the fourth time in the last six games.
 
Both starting guard/forward Leah Earnest and reserve forward Katie Beyer led Valparaiso with eight points.
 
Of Note

• Belmont has won four in a row on the road and is 7-6 away from home this season, including 6-4 in true road games.
• The Bruins have won all five meetings with the Beacons, including three matchups in Valparaiso, Indiana.
• Tripp is the ninth player to score in double figures this season.
• Cheesman has scored over 20 points in consecutive games and is averaging 10.7 rebounds over her last three outings.

Up Next
Belmont travels to the University of Illinois Chicago Sunday for a 1 p.m. tipoff at Credit Union 1 Arena in the Windy City. The Valley road test will be broadcast on ESPN+. Next week, the Bruins host Northern Iowa Thursday evening before welcoming Drake to the Curb on Saturday, Feb. 15.
 
Ticket Info
Flex pack plans for the 2024-25 season, along with single-game tickets, are still available.
 
For more information, visit BelmontBruins.com/Tickets or call 615-460-BALL.
 
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.