LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- When the table is clear and the turkey is gone, the Bellarmine University women's basketball team will suit up twice this weekend in Knights Hall, taking on Coker College and St. Catharine College as part of the MetroMedical Thanksgiving Classic.
The two day, round robin classic will also feature Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Southern Indiana, who the Knights will see twice later on in the season.
Off to a 3-0 start, junior guard
Kylie Brady has been lethal early on, averaging 19.7 points while shooting 54.5% from behind the arc. Her running mate on the wing,
Allison Matheis has been just as effective from long range, hitting six of her first 12 three-pointers on the year while averaging an even 10 points per game. As a team the Knights are connecting at a .500 clip from the tree-point line.
Down low, freshman
Darion Hutchinson and junior
Allison Osen have controlled the paint, combining for 22 points and 14 rebounds per game. Individually, Osen has been automatic so far, as she's gone 14-17 (.824) from the field in the first three games.
As a team, the Knights have been aggressive going to the hoop, getting to the charity stripe 80 times compared to just 29 for their three opponents. They have made the most of their time at the line too, shooting .750 as team, ranking fifth in the GLVC.
Saturday's opponent, the Coker College Cobras, have stumbled out of the gate and sit at 0-3 on the young season. The Cobras have been led by the one-two punch of Amber Lau and Jessica Cohen on the season, as each player is averaging more than 14 points per contest. The Knights will also have to be aware of senior guard Jasmine Alston. Although the 5-7 Alston is averaging just five points per game, she set a Coker College record in the Cobras season finale in 2010-11, going for 47 points, including 22 from the free throw stripe, to go along with 13 rebounds.
St. Catharine(7-1) comes into the weekend after narrowly falling last time out to Rio Grande, 82-81. Osen and Hutchinson will have their hands full with the Patriot's Janae Howard as the 6-2 center is averaging 20.0 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. St. Catharine will also bring in the reigning Mid-South Conference Player of the Week in Kasei Evans. She averaged 23.7 points in three games last week, including 30 in the Patriots' victory over Olivet Nazarene, who were ranked No. 12 in NAIA.
The Knights and Cobras are scheduled for a 7:00 tip on Saturday night with Sunday's contest against St. Catharine beginning at approximately 2:00 pm.
MetroMedical Thanksgiving Classic
