Te'a Cooper scored 13 points, Alexis Jennings added 12 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded South Carolina shook off a sluggish start to pull away from No. 13 seed Belmont 74-52 on Friday in the opening round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Baylor was named the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women's basketball tournament Monday.
Ellie Harmeyer scored 16 points, freshman Conley Chinn hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:07 to play and Belmont defeated Tennessee-Martin 59-53 on Saturday for its fourth-straight Ohio Valley Conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Belmont jumped one spot to No. 2 in our updated mid-major rankings, but the Bruins still trail No. 1 Drake, which is 6-1 and beat South Carolina.
With all five starters back, the Bulldogs are balanced and experienced. South Dakota State, Belmont, South Dakota and Bucknell round out the top five.
A trio of head coaches -- Ashland's Robyn Fralick, Mercer's Susie Gardner and Belmont's Bart Brooks.-- discuss win streaks, peaking at the right time and conference tournaments with Terrika Foster-Brasby.
Belmont head coach Bart Brooks weighs in on the No. 22 Bruins' 44-consecutive conference win streak, the success he's attained in his first year as head coach, expectations entering the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and much more.
First the first time in program history, Belmont broke into the AP Top 25 last week. And after Green Bay stumbled, the Bruins are the new mid-major No. 1.
The Belmont Bruins are in the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history, riding a 15-game winning streak. UConn remains No. 1.
February has arrived, which typically means one thing in espnW's mid-major rankings: Green Bay is back at No. 1.
Florida Gulf Coast, South Dakota State and Green Bay maintain their hold on the top of the mid-major rankings. But while the Jackrabbits are chasing the Eagles, there isn't a better mid-major player than South Dakota State's Macy Miller.
Green Bay replaced South Dakota State on the top line, but No. 3 New Mexico made the biggest jump in espnW's biweekly rankings. Middle Tennessee and Belmont round out the top five.
Belmont has named DePaul assistant Bart Brooks as school's new women's basketball coach.
The first round in Lexington, Kentucky, will be remembered for wins that set up a Kentucky-Ohio State showdown of regional powers that rarely meet. But even in a loss, Belmont was unforgettable.
Belmont -- which, let's face it, might have deserved a single-digit seed -- made Kentucky sweat it out at home. But behind 52 points from Makayla Epps and Evelyn Akhator, the Wildcats advanced.
Will anyone dethrone UConn? How far will Kelsey Plum carry Washington? And what's the upset we'll most likely see this weekend?
For most mid-majors, three days in March can either confirm or erase four months of work. These are the hottest mid-majors to watch as Championship Week -- and possibly an NCAA bid -- awaits.
Belmont has found its new women's basketball coach in Cameron Newbauer, who reached the NCAA championship game this past season as an assistant at Louisville.
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-2 | - | 26-7 |
| UT Martin | 13-5 | 3 | 23-9 |
| Morehead St | 13-5 | 3 | 24-11 |
| Tennessee Tech | 12-6 | 4 | 22-11 |
| Austin Peay | 10-8 | 6 | 15-15 |
| Jacksonville State | 9-9 | 7 | 15-15 |
| Murray St | 9-9 | 7 | 13-17 |
| SIU-Edwardsville | 8-10 | 8 | 13-16 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 8-10 | 8 | 13-17 |
| Eastern Illinois | 5-13 | 11 | 11-18 |
| Tennessee St | 5-13 | 11 | 5-25 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 0-18 | 16 | 2-27 |
