DeLand, Fla. - A cold shooting night (15-58, 25.9%) cost the Stetson women's basketball team (5-8, 1-3 Atlantic Sun) dearly in a 59-45 home loss to Belmont (5-8, 2-2 A-Sun) Wednesday at the Edmunds Center.  Senior guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) and sophomore guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) scored 11 points apiece for the Hatters.

Stetson did not make a field goal for the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds until freshman forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.) hit a three-pointer from the left wing.  Despite the rough start, the Hatters managed to take a 24-23 lead at halftime.

Belmont outscored Stetson 36-21 in the second period as the Hatters hurt their own cause with 14 turnovers.  The Bruins scored 12 unanswered points early in the second half to turn a three-point deficit into a 35-26 lead and were never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Sims scored 10 points to complete a trio of Hatters in double figures, also leading the team with six rebounds.  McGowan tied her career high with five steals in the game while senior center Natasha Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) set a team season high with four blocked shots.

Cacy Burtnett scored 16 points on 4-6 three-point shooting to lead Belmont to the win; Haley Nelson added a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double and Molly Ernst scored 11 points off the bench as well for the Bruins, who defeated Stetson for the 11th consecutive time.

The Hatters hit the road for a pair of A-Sun contests, starting 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8 at USC Upstate.  GoHatters.com will have a link to Live Stats as well as the simulcast of the A-Sun.TV feed from the Hodge Center.  The Stetson-USC Upstate men's game will precede the women's game at 2 p.m.

STETSON SOCIAL MEDIA

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