Box Score (PDF)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 7 Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team fell to No. 1 Belmont, 94-64, in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game Saturday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium.
 
EKU (12-20) was the first No. 7 seed to ever reach the OVC title game. The Colonels beat No. 2 Morehead State and No. 3 SIUE to reach Saturday's final.
 
Eastern was led by a trio of seniors in the loss. Mariah Massengill and Shavontae Naylor both had 16 points, while Jalen O'Bannon recorded her second double-double of the tournament with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
O'Bannon was named to the five-person All-Tournament Team following the game. The first team All-OVC forward averaged 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds-per-game during the Colonels' run.
 
Belmont (27-5) was led by Tournament MVP Kylee Smith, who finished with 30 points and seven rebounds. Darby Maggard chipped in 22 points and eight assists.
 
Belmont led 18-12 at the end of the first quarter; however, EKU opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run and tied the game, 20-20, when senior Marcella Rocha knocked down a jumper with 7:48 on the clock.
 
The Bruins responded with a 10-1 run of their own and went back up by nine, 32-23, when Maggard canned a three-pointer with 1:36 left in the first half.
 
Another triple at the buzzer by Smith made it a 10-point lead for Belmont at the break, 38-28.
 
O'Bannon scored the first bucket of the second half to cut the deficit to eight, but Belmont came back with an 8-2 run to go up by 14. The Bruins' lead only grew from there.
 
Belmont out-rebounded EKU, 53-33.
 
Both teams committed only five turnovers in the game. The Colonels connected on a season-low one three-pointer in the game (1-of-11).