By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jordan Brock tried her hardest to keep Tennessee Tech's four-game winning streak alive and stretch it further against Belmont on Saturday. The senior knocked down seven 3-pointers and collected her second 30-point game of the season.
But a hot-shooting Belmont squad was able to pull away in the second half to take a 73-61 victory at the Curb Event Center in the first of back-to-back games against the Bruins. Tech will host Belmont at the Hooper Eblen Center on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
It was a battle for most of the first half, with Belmont's Destinee Wells putting the Bruins on top as Destinee Wells hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 21-20 lead. Tech briefly retook the lead, then the Bruins went on a run as the Golden Eagles fell into a scoring drought late in the second quarter. Belmont went into the intermission leading 36-31.
Belmont pulled away in the third quarter, knocking down seven of its 14 shots, while Tech went cold, shooting 3-for-15 from the floor. Brock had eight points on two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws, but Tech was only able to add an additional bucket from Megan Clark in the quarter as Belmont outscored the Golden Eagles 16-10 to make it a 52-41 game
Brock put together 11 points in the fourth quarter with five from Anna Jones and four from Jada Guinn, but the Golden Eagles weren't able to crack the deficit closer than eight as Tech hit that point four times in the final 10 minutes.
Wells had 10 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead Belmont (14-5, 11-3 OVC) to the victory, while Conley Chinn also had 23 points and a team-high five rebounds. Wells and Tuti Jones each had a team-best four assists.
Belmont finished the contest hitting 30 of its 53 shots for a 56.6 percent clip. The Bruins were 8-for-24 from long-range and 5-for-6 at the line.
Brock ended the day with 30 points, the only Golden Eagle to break into double-digit scoring on the day, as she was 8-for-14 from the field and 7-for-11 from 3-point range. She was also 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Jones added nine points, while Guinn had eight.
Tech had a slim advantage on the glass, pulling down 28 boards to Belmont's 25, while taking 12 offensive caroms to the Bruins' seven. The Golden Eagles had just two more turnovers – 14 to 12 – but Belmont was able to convert those into 17 points to Tech's seven.
The Bruins were also able to overpower Tech in the paint, outscoring the Golden Eagles 42-20 inside.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information, file