Belmont women’s basketball was defeated by the Northern Iowa Panthers Thursday night.
This loss leaves Belmont tied as the Missouri Valley Conference leader, a position they had previously held uncontested after winning their last 10 games.
Kendal Cheesman accounted for nearly half of the Bruins’ 61 points with 30, continuing her strong play after being named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. The 30 points also marked a new career high for Cheesman.
It was a slow start for the Bruins, trailing 14-2 early in the first quarter, including by as much as 15.
Belmont took control in the second, claiming a 30-29 lead at halftime thanks partly to Northern Iowa shooting 17.6% from the field in the quarter.
The Bruins stayed close with Northern Iowa for a majority of the second half, but a 12-4 run in the back half of the fourth quarter all but sealed the game for the Panthers.
“You can’t start a game and be down 12 points in the first three minutes against a really good team because the energy it takes to get back. I feel like you’re fighting uphill the rest of the game,” said head coach Bart Brooks.
Belmont’s undefeated 6-0 record versus Northern Iowa also received its first blemish with the loss.
Threes were a big struggle for Belmont as they shot 18% compared to Northern Iowa’s 38%.
Belmont will host a crucial conference game on Saturday versus Drake, a team that has won its last five games.
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This article was written by Austin Embry.
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