The Braves and Bruins met for the first time in school history at the Renaissance Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

The Braves came out looking good, with back-to-back threes from Ruba Abo Hashesh and Caroline Waite to get the game started. Finishing the first quarter up 20-17, Bradley looked to push its lead further but found a tough Belmont team ready to get on track. The Braves were out-scored in the second and third quarters and made a final push in the fourth, but it wasn't enough to get the team its first conference win. The team shot 35.1% from the floor, 31.6% from three and 88.9% from the free throw line. Caroline Waite was the top scorer for the Braves with 15 points, two assists and one steal. Alex Rouse filled the stat sheet up with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Belmont, a newcomer to the MVC, came into the Renaissance Coliseum looking to keep up its win streak. A strong team both inside and from beyond the arc, the Bruins looked to control the paint in order to win the game. The team shot a strong 42.2% from the floor but struggled from the three-point range with a percentage of 26.9%. With a little bit of extra height, the Bruins captured six more blocks and rebounds than the Braves but didn't dish out as many assists. Madison Bartley was a key player in the Bruins' win, with 22 points, 12 rebounds, one assist and one block. Three other players scored in double digits, combining for 39 points and 18 rebounds.


BRADLEY

POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS
Waite - 15	Fitch - 10	Fitch - 4
Rouse - 11	Rouse/Powell - 4	Rouse/Dorsey - 3
Powell - 9	Barkema/Dorsey - 3	Four players with 2

BELMONT

POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS
Bartley - 22	Bartley - 12	Miller/Wells - 5
Wells - 17	Miller - 8	Harvey - 2
McGuff/Miller - 11	McGuff - 7	Five players with 1

WHAT'S NEXT
The Braves play at home on Friday night against Missouri State at 7:00 p.m. You can stream the games on ESPN+, or you can listen to the games on 1290 WIRL.