NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Led by a blistering first-half performance and 26 points from Candice Mitchell, the Belmont women’s basketball team raced to an early 28-point lead and cruised to a 75-53 win over Troy State in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Saturday.

The loss was the fifth straight for the Lady Trojans (3-7, 2-1 A-Sun), which shot just 28 percent and committed 26 turnovers to aid in its demise. Sophomore center Thea Herring finished a rebound short of her fourth consecutive double-double for Troy State, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to help the Lady Trojans overcome a sluggish start.

Belmont jumped out to a 10-0 lead and led 38-10 with 5:04 to play in the first half. Mitchell scored 15 of her points in the first 20 minutes, when the Bruins (10-1, 4-0 A-Sun) shot 45 percent and effectively put the game out of reach. An 13-5 run by the Lady Trojans just before the half sliced the margin to 45-25 at the intermission.

"We dug ourselves into a hole in the first half," Troy State head coach Jerry Hester said. "It was tough to come back from that against a team like Belmont. We’ve just got to regroup and see where we want to go from here."