By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont used a massive difference in free throws coupled with a big rebound advantage to steal a 69-56 Ohio Valley Conference women's basketball victory Saturday over Tennessee Tech in Eblen Center.
The Bruins (9-14/6-4 OVC) outscored Tech at the free throw line 30-15 in the 13-point victory, and owned a 42-30 edge on the glass to sweep the two-game season series from the Golden Eagles.
Tech (8-14/5-4 OVC) was in a double-digit hole for nearly the entire game following a 15-2 early run by the Bruins that set the stage for their road win. Tech never got the difference under 10 in the second half.
Four Bruins netted double digits, led by Adrienne Tarrance with 14 points, to go along with six rebounds and five of the team's 14 assists. She was 12-for-12 at the charity stripe. Katie Carroll scored 13, Frankie Joubran used an 8-for-9 effort at the line to add 12, and Taylor Mills scored 10, going 5-for-6 at the line. Mills added five rebounds and four assists.
Tech had three in twin digits, topped by Hannah Goolsby and Diamond Henderson with 12 each. Candace Parson added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
After Parson's layup started the scoring with a 2-0 Tech lead 23 seconds into the game, the Bruins raced through a 15-2 scoring run to take control of the first half. arroll hit 3-pointers to start and finish the streak, and Tech attempted just one shot in the nearly four-minute span. The Golden Eagles were whistled for four fouls and had four turnovers in the run.
Belmont's first half fortunes continued for the next nine minutes and the lead grew to 18 points, 29-11, with 6:51 to play in the half when Mills dropped in two free throws.
The Golden Eagles finally got things going in the right direction and put together a 10-0 run to pull within eight on a three-point play by Mariah Dean with 3:40 to play.
Belmont took the difference back out to 13 by halftime, leading 36-23. The period included a 13-for-15 effort at the free throw line by the Bruins, who shot just 31 percent (10-for-32) from the field. Tech shot 38 percent (8-for-21) for the half, but was 0-for-5 from long range and had 11 turnovers.
Tech opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Goolsby to pull within 10 at 36-26, but the Golden Eagles would never be that close again. A 6-0 run, and the Bruins nursed a lead that wavered between 14 and 18 points the remainder of the game.
The turnaround is a short one for the Golden Eagles, who are back in Eblen Center Monday night hosting Tennessee State at 7 p.m. That game is another Youth Basketball Night, with free admission for all participants of the area youth basketball leagues, both players and coaches, and one dollar admission for each family member. Call the ticket office at (931) 372-3940 for information or tickets.
