Women’s Basketball Hosts Stetson in the Pink Zone Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson (10-10, 6-5) | 30 | 40 | 70 |
| Belmont (7-14, 4-8) | 33 | 27 | 60 |
| Curb Event Center (Nashville, Tenn.) | |||
| Stetson | Belmont |
|---|---|
| Pts: CONNER, Jessica - 22 | Pts: Molly Ernst - 15 |
| Reb: CONNER, Jessica - 11 | Reb: Haley Nelson - 7 |
| Ast: 2 Players (#05, #30 - 4) | Ast: Shaunda Strayhorn - 4 |
| Team Statistics | Stetson | Belmont |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 42.4% (25-59 ) | 31.0% (18-58 ) |
| Rebounds | 38 | 41 |
| Assists | 9 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 17 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 8 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 10 | 3 |
| Bench Pts | 27 | 16 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women's basketball team (7-13, 4-7 A-Sun) will look to put one up in the win column when it hosts Stetson (9-10, 5-5 A-Sun) on Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center. The contest is also BU's Pink Zone game, a national initiative started by the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond and offer support to families and survivors of the disease.
The Hatters come to Nashville on the hunt for the fourth win in their last five appearances on the hardwood. Stetson stands at 5-5 in the Atlantic Sun, good for second place among postseason eligible teams in the conference, and 9-10 overall. SU has three players averaging in double digits, led by Victoria McGowan, who is dropping in 14.2 points per game. Tierra Brown adds 12.2 points per outing while Jessica Connor contributes 10.5 points per game. Natasha Graboski leads the team in rebounds, grabbing 5.9 per game.
When these two teams faced off earlier this season, Belmont won 59-45 in DeLand, Fla. Junior Cacy Burtnett led the Bruins with a game-high 16 points. Classmate Haley Nelson notched a double-double with 13 points and game-high 10 rebounds. Freshman Molly Ernst rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points.
BU leads the all-time series 16-3 and has won the last 11 consecutive meetings.
Belmont will be looking to snap a four-game skid when it hosts Stetson tomorrow. The Bruins were held off by rival Lipscomb in part two of the Battle of the Boulevard earlier this week and fell, 73-59. The Bruins are led in scoring by junior Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.), who is averaging 13.8 points per outing. Freshman Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) and senior Shaunda Strayhorn (Dyersburg, Tenn.) round out the top scorers, contributing 9.8 and 8.5 points per contest. Nelson also leads BU in rebounds, pulling down 8.5 per game. Strayhorn, who is less than 90 points away from her 1,000th career point, leads Belmont in assists (98) and steals (18).
A trio of Bruins continues to make waves in NCAA national statistics as of 1/27, led by Strayhorn and Nelson, who appear in four categories each. Strayhorn is tied for second in triple-doubles (1), 50th in assists per game (4.9), 127th in free-throw percentage (79.0), and 227th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.09). Nelson is ranked 60th in blocked shots per game (1.8), 78th in field-goal percentage (48.9), 90th in rebounds per game (8.5), and 239th in points per game (13.8). Ernst continues to stand as one of the nation's top long range shooters, coming in at 27th in three-point field goals made per game (2.8) and 50th in three-point field-goal percentage (40.0).
Saturday's Pink Zone contest can be heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network and seen live on ASun.TV. Live stats and a Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive pink t-shirts and pompons. Survivors will be honored with a presentation at halftime.
