Basketball Game Preview: Belmont Bison vs. Mercy McAuley Wolves

The Belmont Bison will face off against the Mercy McAuley Wolves at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Belmont is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Monday. They were beaten by Meadowdale 63-28. The Bison were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-14.

Mashayla Valentine

Steals

01/27/25 vs Meadowdale	5
01/23/25 @ Ponitz Career Tech	2
01/21/25 vs Cincinnati College Prep Academy	3
01/18/25 @ Cristo Rey	5
01/16/25 vs Stivers School for the Arts	4

Despite the loss, Belmont had strong showings from Lillian Rupp, who went 5 of 7 on her way to 11 points and six boards, and Mashayla Valentine, who posted nine points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Valentine has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played.

Meanwhile, Mercy McAuley played a tough match on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 55-25 loss at the hands of Mount Notre Dame. While losing is never fun, the Wolves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 415th, while Mount Notre Dame are ranked 13th).

Mercy McAuley has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season. As for Belmont, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-18.