The women’s basketball team advances to its fourth straight Ohio Valley Conference Tournament final after knocking off Tennessee Tech 62-48 on Friday afternoon in Evansville, Indiana.
The Bruins kept it tight with the Golden Eagles throughout the entire first half, never really finding room to run with the game. That changed with a huge third quarter from senior Darby Maggard where she scored 8 points.
Maggard scored 18 points overall — including her 2,000th career point — and picked up 9 assists.
Belmont fell behind early, going down 5-0 within the first two minutes. But with help from a Maura Muensterman 3-pointer and a few Tennessee Tech travels, the Bruins took a 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Junior Maddie Wright came in to help save the game when a struggling Ellie Harmeyer picked up her second foul in the first quarter. Wright earned a double-double, scoring 11 points and rebounding 10.
“She had a big time game for us, and that’s Maddie Wright,” said head coach Bart Brooks. “I can’t say enough about her effort and her toughness. She’s running around, can’t breathe, can’t talk, but she played great basketball tonight.”
The second quarter played out very similarly, as both OVC foes were neck and neck. Both teams were playing heavy man-to-man defense, but it was Belmont’s defense that would go on to make the difference.
The Bruins led 31-25 after the first half and never looked back.
By the end of the third quarter, Belmont was leading 49-37.
Senior Jenny Roy played a nearly perfect game, commanding the floor as she has all season long. Roy had 9 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Freshman Conley Chinn scored 9 points off the bench and played a very physical game, picking up four fouls.
The Bruins will now play in Saturday’s final at 2 p.m. against the winner of the UT Martin vs. Morehead State game.
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Photos by Carina Eudy