How Belmont women's basketball lost to Ball State 101-86 in WNIT first-round shootout
The Belmont women's basketball team got plenty of offense from junior Destinee Wells, but did not have enough defense to keep up with host Ball State in the first round of the Women's NIT on Thursday night in Muncie, Indiana.
Ball State stretched a two-point halftime lead into a 101-86 victory in the game played at Worthen Arena.
It was Belmont's first time giving up 100 points since falling to Southeast Missouri 114-99 in the 2019-20 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinals. The Bruins were seventh in defense in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, allowing an average of 66.1 points per game.
Wells, the second-leading scorer in the MVC, had 35 points and five assists. She scored 17 of Belmont's 23 points in the third quarter.
Ball State is ranked 18th nationally in scoring (77.6 points) and led the Mid-American Conference this season.
The Cardinals shot 54.4% from the field (37-of-68), shooting 50% on 3-pointers (16-32) and 91.7% from the free throw line (11-12).
Wells scored her 35th point with 4:23 left to play on a bucket that trimmed Ball State's lead to 90-79. She was held scoreless the rest of the way. She made 11-of-12 free throws, but only two 3-pointers.
While Belmont leaned heavily on Wells, Ball State had three players − Ann Clephane, Matelyn Bishoff and Thelma Dis Agustsdottir − to count on. Clephane was 12-16 from the field and scored 31 points, Bishoff was 7-9 and scored 23 points, and Dis Agustsdottir was 7-17 and added 20 points. Dis Agustsdottir also had six rebounds and a blocked shot.
Belmont also shot well from the field at 51.7% (30-58), but not nearly as well as Ball State from 3-point range at 31.8% (7-22).
Belmont (23-12) had put together a 16-game win streak before losing to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship and missing out on earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
MVC CHAMPIONSHIP:Belmont women's basketball misses automatic NCAA Tournament berth after losing to Drake in MVC championship
It was Belmont's first WNIT appearance since 2014 and third overall. The Bruins would have received an at-large bid in the 2020 WNIT if it had not been canceled because of COVID-19.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Belmont women's basketball falls to Ball State 101-86 in WNIT 1st round
