Box Score ST. LOUIS — Despite a strong push by the Bellarmine University women's basketball team, the Knights couldn't pull out the win on the road in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament and fell, 65-71, to the Maryville Saints on Sunday afternoon in St. Louis, Mo. Bellarmine's season ends with a 13-14 overall record and 9-10 in the conference.

Sophomore forward Sarah Galvin led the Knights with 17 points. Galvin also pulled in seven rebounds, an assist, a block, and two steals in the loss.

The first period was a low scoring affair in St. Louis. Both teams shot just over 32 percent in the first 20 minutes of action and neither managed a three-pointer in the opening half.

Bellarmine junior forward Morgan Clemons converted a three-point play 1:48 into the game to give the Knights the first points of the ball game, 3-0. However, six straight points by Maryville gave the home side the lead. The Saints would not trail for the rest of the first half. Bellarmine cut the Saints' lead to one, 25-26 with 1:00 left on the clock until halftime on a layup by sophomore guard Mackenzie Martinez, the closest Bellarmine would get  since the Knights and Saints were knotted at 12 at the 13:42 mark.

The Knights went to the break down by three, 25-28.

In just 46 seconds after taking the court for the second half, Bellarmine claimed a 30-28 lead. Clemons scored on a layup and then a quick three-pointer by freshman guard Jessica Hardin vaulted Bellarmine on top.

In the first eight minutes of the second half the teams traded the lead five times and sat deadlocked four different times.

With the score tied, 44-44, with 12:13 left in the period, a 5-0 Bellarmine run gave the Knights a sturdy lead heading into the final minutes of the game. The Knights held a seven-point, 55-48, advantage over the Saints with 7:35 to go after Hardin's third three-pointer of the game but a second-half Bellarmine drought allowed Maryville to crawl their way back into the contest.

The Knights went over four minutes without a field goal and Maryville took advantage, using an 11-2 run to take a 59-57 lead with 3:39 to play. After senior guard Therese Montano gave Bellarmine the 60-59 lead on a three-point play with 3:28 on the clock, the Saints quickly responded. The home team jumped into a 6-0 run, taking a 65-60 lead with 2:07 to play.

Maryville held on in the dying seconds of the game, using trips to the free throw line to prevent a last-minute Bellarmine run. The Knights fell 65-71, ending their season.

Bellarmine shot 22-for-70 (31.4 percent) from the field, were 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) from three, and 18-for-25 from the line. The Knights had seven assists, 14 turnovers, two blocks, and seven steals. Bellarmine was out-rebounded 50-48 in the game.

For the 13th time this season, Galvin led the Knights in scoring with her 17th double-figure game of the year. The sophomore shot 7-for-13 from the field. Hardin scored 15 points and hit three triples in the game. Sophomore guard Mackenzie Martinez scored 10 points and Montano scored nine points, grabbed nine boards, and contributed three assists for Bellarmine.

Maryville (18-11, 11-8 GLVC) shot 20-for-57 (35.1 percent), 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from behind the arc, and 29-for-37 (78.4 percent) from the charity stripe. The Saints had 12 assists, 16 turnovers, six blocks, and six steals.

Junior guard Shelby Miller led all players with 23 points. Forward Erica Lorton had 19 points and eight rebounds and freshman forward Alex Wolf pulled in a game high 12 boards.

Bellarmine bids farewell to seniors Therese Montano, Kelsey Lamb, and Kylee Hamilton who have concluded their careers with the Knights.

HTML Box Score