LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- Facing one of their toughest opponents of the season, the Bellarmine University women's basketball team picked up a hard fought win against the No. 21 Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers on Saturday afternoon in Knights Hall.

Down by as many as 22 points in the first half, Bellarmine (8-9, 2-7 GLVC) pick up their second win in a row, while Wisconsin-Parkside (13-4, 6-3 GLVC) sees their four game win streak snapped.

“I've really seen a change in this team's attitude the last few games,” said Coach David Smith. “This was a physical game and I thought we handled it great as a team. After so many close calls this season, the girls went out and made the plays down the stretch to earn this W.”

Bellarmine exploded for 53 points, on 18-29 (.621) shooting, in the second half against a Rangers' defense that has only been giving up 53.4 points per game on the year. On the flip side, UWP shot 58.1% in the opening half, but cooled off in the second, hitting just 12-31 (.381) attempts.

Out of the gate, Wisconsin-Parkside got to the rim at will and built a 25-8 lead at the second media timeout.  Twice the Rangers extended their lead to 22 points, at 31-9 and 33-11, in what looked to be a rout for the visitors from Kenosha, Wisc.

Knocked in the mouth, Bellarmine came back and made an 8-2 run over the final two minutes of the half to cut the lead to just 12 going into the locker room, 41-29. The battle cry continued in the second half as the Knights slowly chipped away at the lead by driving the ball to the rim.

Staying aggressive, the Knights took the lead at the 9:59 mark when Darion Hutchinson knocked down a jumper while getting fouled. It would be the game's only lead change, as the Knights never relinquished the lead they had fought hard for.

The game was tight all the way to the end though as UWP's Jenna Endisch nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key with 53 seconds left to cut Bellarmine's lead to 80-79. The Rangers would make a defensive stop on BU's next possession getting the ball back with 15 seconds remaining. Faced with the chance of another heartbreaking loss, Bellarmine would make a defensive stand of their own, forcing Jadee Rooney into an off-balance shot that clanged off the back iron and into the arms of Kylie Brady.

After pulling down the rebound and getting fouled, Brady calmly knocked down two free throws to seal the victory for Bellarmine, 82-79. The 82 points marks the highest total that the Rangers have given up this year.  Therese Montano and Brady both poured in 21 points for the Knights, as Hutchinson had 11 points and 8 rebounds of her own.

“At the end of the first half and throughout the second half we continued to attack the basket and forced them to foul us,” said Smith. “Then, once we got to the line we hit 22-26 chances. That's something a good team has to do in this league.”

Rooney led all scorers in the game with 24 points as the Rangers received 18 points from Brittany Beyer and 15 from Endisch.

Next week the Knights will see a pair of GLVC rivals as they host Southern Indiana on Thursday in Knights Hall, before traveling to Owensboro, Ky. on Saturday to take on Kentucky Wesleyan. Thursday's tip is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.

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