After a first-quarter stalemate Thursday, Belmont women’s basketball was unrelenting on both ends of the Knapp Center court.
The Bruins were constantly in a groove offensively and swarming on defense. Whenever Drake started building any sort of momentum, Belmont was quick to squash any attempts of a sustained rally.
Belmont snapped Drake’s nine-game winning streak 80-65 and handed the Bulldogs their first home loss in Missouri Valley Conference play since Jan. 11, 2023. It was Drake’s largest margin of defeat this year.
Katie Dinnebier led Drake with 21 points, seven boards and seven assists. Anna Miller also had 21 points, with four rebounds and five assists. Courtney Becker had nine points, all in the second half. The Bulldogs committed 17 turnovers, which the Bruins converted into 18 points.
For Belmont, Tuti Jones had a season-high 22 points to lead the Bruins. Kendall Holmes added 17 points. Kendal Cheesman chipped in 15 points and five rebounds. Jailyn Banks added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Abbie Aalsma’s 3-pointer seconds before the buzzer gave Drake a one-point lead after a closely contested first quarter. Then Belmont pulled away.
The Bruins made eight of their first nine shots of the second quarter and had a 14-2 run that spanned 4 minutes 30 seconds. Carmyn Harrison sparked the run with a layup. Jones and Banks sank back-to-back jumpers to cap the scoring surge and give the Bruins a 42-30 with 2:14 left in the first half.
Drake started to settle in late in the quarter, but Belmont held on to a 44-36 halftime lead.
Becker provided a third-quarter spark off the bench and helped Drake trim the deficit to eight points on two occasions, but Belmont closed the third quarter on a 9-0 run.
The Bulldogs started to shoot and score more efficiently in the fourth quarter, but the Bruins’ lead never dipped below double figures for the remainder of the game.
Drake team members were not made available for postgame interviews. The Bulldogs dropped to 11-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
Drake returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Murray State in the annual Pink Game at the Knapp Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake women’s basketball suffers first conference loss vs. Belmont
