Belmont women’s basketball was defeated by the Illinois State Redbirds 66-63 Thursday Night.
This was a crucial matchup for both teams with the winner taking control of a top-four seed in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team holding a lead by more than four points.
Senior forward Kendal Cheesman was a force on the glass, grabbing 12 of Belmont’s 16 first-half rebounds. Despite this effort, they were still outrebounded 21-16 by the Redbirds.
Guard Shannon Dowell was Illinois State’s offensive engine in the first half, scoring 15 points and getting to the rim.
The third quarter is where the standoff ended as Illinois State took as much as an 11-point lead.
Belmont was able to claw its way back in the fourth, retaking the lead off a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Jailyn Banks with 4:28 to go in the game.
From that point on, it stayed a one-possession game as both teams took turns owning the lead.
With 6.6 seconds in the game, Banks was given the ball with a chance to win or tie with Belmont down 65-63.
Banks opted for a short jumper that didn’t connect with 0.5 seconds left, sealing the win for Illinois State.
Banks was instrumental in Belmont getting back into this game, scoring 12 of her team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Cheesman ended the game with 17 points and 16 rebounds, grabbing over half of the Bruins’ rebounds.
Belmont dropped to fifth in the MVC after this game, a notable number with top four seeds in the conference getting a first-round bye in the MVC Women’s Basketball Championship.
The three-game losing streak for Belmont follows a 10-game winning streak where the Bruins sat at the top of the conference standings.
Belmont will look to end its losing streak in a must-win matchup against Murray State on the road, a team that shares an 11-4 conference record with Belmont.
-
This article was written by Austin Embry.
Comments