TOP PHOTO: Tennessee Tech true freshman Madison Brady, a former star for the Campbell Lady Cougars, saw her first game action in a couple of games on Tuesday night.

COOKEVILLE, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF) – Four players in double-figure points fueled the Belmont women’s basketball team to a 77-56 road victory over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at the Eblen Center Tuesday night.

Former Campbell County Lady Cougar Madison Brady, a true freshman, saw her first game action in a couple of games. Tuesday night, she tallied two points, a rebound and a blocked shot in three minutes of action.

The Bruins (15-5, 12-3 OVC) were led by junior forward Conley Chinn, who registered 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting for her second straight 20-point game. Chinn also added a team-high six rebounds, while freshman guard Destinee Wells poured in 19 points. 

Freshman guard Whitney Hay chipped in 12 points on a 3-of-5 clip, as fellow freshman guard Tuti Jones racked up 10 points, five rebounds and a career-high seven assists. Overall, Belmont shot 52 percent on the night, tabbed 34 paint points and dished out 20 assists.

The Golden Eagles (13-8, 11-7 OVC) were led by senior guard Kesha Brady, who posted a team-best 18 points and five assists. The Bruins held their in-state foe to just 37 percent shooting from the field and a 17 percent clip from 3-point range.

Chinn scored Belmont’s first five points to start the game, but Tennessee Tech answered to go up 8-5 by the six-minute mark of the first quarter. A 3-pointer from junior guard Jamilyn Kinney and a layup from Chinn gave the Bruins a 10-8 advantage into the first media timeout. However, the Golden Eagles rode a 7-0 run to take a 16-13 lead through the first 10 minutes of play.

Belmont regained its hot hand to begin the second period, as a putback layup from Chinn sparked a 9-1 run over five minutes. Jones’ layup put the Bruins on top by a score of 22-17 at the halfway mark of the quarter. Wells knocked down a 3-pointer at the 3:35 mark to start an 11-4 run for Belmont to end the half. The Bruins took a 33-23 halftime lead after outscoring the Golden Eagles 20-7 in the quarter.

At the half, Chinn led the way for Belmont with a team-high nine points and four rebounds, while Wells and Hay chipped in seven points each. The Bruins hit five 3-pointers, dished out nine assists and shot over 40 percent in the first half.

Tennessee Tech cut its deficit to just five points to start the second half, but a three from Jones kept Belmont’s lead at 36-28 at the 8:30 point of the period. Chinn then posted five straight points for the Bruins in the next minute, as sophomore forward Cam Browning made three consecutive shots to keep Belmont up 10 points at the 4:17 mark. The Golden Eagles went on to outscore the Bruins by a 10-5 margin, but still trailed 58-47 after three periods.

Wells and Chinn meshed for eight points in the first five minutes of the final quarter to give Belmont a convincing 66-50 lead. Wells recorded an and-one at the 4:14 mark to boost the Bruin advantage to 19 points. Buckets from Hay and junior guard Maddie Cook kept Belmont ahead, as it went on to tally a 77-56 road victory.

In total, the Bruins finished with 23 points from turnovers, 23 bench points and 17 second chance points in the win. Browning nearly tallied double-figure points with nine points in just 11 minutes of play. Belmont led for 30 minutes of the mid-week contest en route to its season-high fifth straight win.

50 PERCENT CLIP: With 52 percent shooting against Tennessee Tech, the Bruins have shot over 50 percent from the field in each of their last two games. It also marked their fourth game with over a 50 percent clip this season.

DOUBLE DOMINANCE: Junior forward Conley Chinn and freshman guard Destinee Wells have combined for over 40 points in both of Belmont last two outings. Overall, the tandem has combined for 90 points in the last two games.

BALL MOVEMENT: The Bruins’ 20 assists versus the Golden Eagles marked their third game this year with 20-plus assists. They also dished out 20 assists at Tennessee State on Dec. 10 and at SIU Edwardsville on Feb. 6.

UP NEXT: Belmont finishes out the regular season with road matchups at Eastern Kentucky on Thursday (4 p.m.) and at Morehead State on Saturday (12 p.m.). (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 02/24/2021-6AM)

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