The No. 4 Bellarmine University women’s basketball team has been prone to slow starts, but the Knights shot out of the gate on Thursday at Pepsi Arena and then dominated the second half after Quincy rallied in a 92-67 romp in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
Senior forward Sarah Galvin rolled up game highs of 21 points and nine rebounds for the Knights (13-1, 5-0 GLVC), who were two points shy of their season best in points. Senior guard Whitney Hartlage nailed four of her seven 3-point attempts in scoring a season-high 19 points with five assists and five rebounds against the Hawks (4-12, 1-5), while junior forward Beth Bowers matched Hartlage with 19 points and added five rebounds. Senior guard Destony Curry chipped in nine points, and junior guard Raven Merriweather hauled in seven rebounds.
Bellarmine’s aggressiveness on the boards was a major factor in the team’s third-straight win. The Knights outrebounded the Hawks 43-29 and ripped down a season-high 22 offensive rebounds. Seven different players corralled three or more boards. Bellarmine’s tenacity led to a 23-10 advantage in second-chance points.
Led by Hartlage’s four trifectas, Bellarmine tied a season high with nine 3-pointers. Freshman guard Katie Downey sank a pair from deep. The Knights were also strong from the free-throw line, canning 21 of their 27 chances (77.8 percent). Bellarmine’s offense was highly efficient in the second half, connecting on 57.1 percent of its shots, including 9 of 13 (69.2 percent) in the fourth period.
Bellarmine’s veterans largely struggled in the team’s previous game, a freshman-sparked 70-56 victory over William Jewell, but the Knights’ upperclassmen were focused from the outset Thursday. Hartlage drilled a 3-pointer at the 8:24 mark of the first quarter for a 5-2 lead, and the Knights held the advantage the rest of the way. Galvin sank a jumper for a 15-2 lead, and her free throws boosted the advantage to 27-10 after one quarter.
Bellarmine played poorly in one quarter, and that was the second. Quincy surged in the last five minutes leading into halftime, cutting its deficit to 42-35 at the intermission. The Hawks then sliced it to two early in the third quarter.
Galvin and Bowers swung the game back in Bellarmine’s favor for good after combining for all 11 points in an 11-3 run. Galvin sank her first 3-pointer of the season during the burst. Senior guard Kelsey Adwell then capped an 8-2 run to close the third quarter with a layup for a 67-50 lead. The Knights were never threatened in the fourth as they cruised to the win.
Bellarmine plays at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday at Truman State.
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by Adam Pruiett
